Erik Dies
by Smitty91
Summary: When Erik ends up sick in the hospital, Marshmallow blames herself and consoles herself with food. Meanwhile, Alvin, Simon, Jeanette, Joanna, and Rebecca struggle to find a cure for Erik while JC and Theodore struggle to rebuild their faith in God after this tragedy.
1. Chapter 1

Erik Dies

Chapter 1

_My birth was . . . unconventional at best._

Surrounded by western red cedar and western hemlock trees lied an unconscious raccoon, covered in a pink, sticky goo. Its tail was curled around its feet. Its eye opened and it slowly sat up, looking around the forest.

_Like a newborn baby, I had no idea where I was or what was going on. _

The raccoon looked down at his body. He moved his fingers.

_My mind wasn't sure of what it was seeing. Was this my hand or just my imagination? _

He turned his paw over and examined it, noticing that it had bits of dirt coating it. He finally looked up, noticing that there was sunlight, albeit very little, pouring in through the spaces between the branches and leaves of the trees. His head jerked down as he heard a loud hiss. In front of him was a rattlesnake. For the longest time, the two of them stared at one another. The rattlesnake suddenly struck and the raccoon caught it in mid-strike. The snake flicked its tongue at him. He let go of the snake and the snake slithered away.

_Every species is born with instincts. Every species . . . except the one I was born into. _

The raccoon finally stood up. His legs shook at first, him not being used to standing up. He continued to look around, unsure of where to go or what to do. He took his first step and noticed that it wasn't hard. He took another and another until finally he was roaming around the forest. He stopped when he heard voices and used his sense of hearing until he came across something.

_I came across a red beast with two distinct voices. I was thankful to have found a companion. _

He smiled as he approached the strange creature, hearing smacking noises and moaning coming from the opening within it, which he guessed was the creature's mouth. He poked his head through the opening to spot a man repeatedly kissing a woman, both naked. The woman turned her head so that the man was kissing her neck. She opened her eyes and screamed upon seeing the raccoon. The man beside her also looked over at the raccoon and yelled as well.

Serena Cuthbert smiled as the sun's rays hit her while she observed the new neighborhood that she and her family had recently moved into. She sipped her coffee as she watched the neighbors go about their daily morning routines. She watched as Mr. Seville went out to get his paper just like he did every morning. Her husband had already gotten the morning paper while she had just gotten back inside from getting the mail. She turned and walked in the kitchen. Her smile grew wider as she saw her husband busily cooking breakfast. She walked up to him and gave him a tender kiss on his cheek. She took a sniff. "Mm, smells good. What are we having?"

"French toast," he told her.

Both jumped as they heard a loud voice drift down the hall.

"Get off me, fat ass!"

Serena looked over her shoulder. "Jerold Cuthbert," she warned.

"Well, tell Cody to get off me," the voice identified as Jerold Cuthbert instructed hatefully.

Serena sighed. "Cody, get off your brother."

"It was the only way I could get him up," Cody replied.

"Doesn't mean I want to wake up to your fat ass," JC barked.

"Jerold Cuthbert," Serena yelled angrily.

Once again, both adult rabbits jumped as they heard a loud bang against a door.

"You can only put on so much lip gloss, princess," Mimi cried as she pounded a hockey stick against the bathroom door.

The blond-haired rabbit in the room sighed and she lowered her tube of lip gloss and glared at the door. "You blew my concentration!" She smiled at her reflection. "Now I get to start all over again."

"Hurry it up, Joanna," Saul barked.

"Got it, Dad," Joanna replied as she continued to put lip gloss on.

Mimi sighed and walked in the room. She was the youngest of the Cuthbert children. Like her parents, she had gray hair, but a lighter shade than that of her parents. She had her hair done in a tomboyish style. She set her hockey stick against the wall and sighed as she approached the coffeepot and began pouring herself a mug of coffee.

JC and Cody walked in the kitchen next. The two of them looked like twins. The only difference between them was that Cody was very fat, whereas JC was very athletic-looking. The two of them were the only ones who didn't have any distinct hair like the rest of their family. While JC fixed himself a mug of coffee, Cody inquired as to what they would be having for breakfast. His face lit up when his father told him that they were having French toast.

Once Joanna walked in the kitchen, JC and Mimi raced to the bathroom, bumping each other into the walls with their rumps as they fought to see who would get to the bathroom first. Both made the claim that they had to take a shower, pushing and shoving each other as both of them attempted to squeeze through the bathroom door.

"Why don't you two just take a shower together?" Saul suggested. "That's what me and my brother used to do when we were your age."

Both siblings recoiled in disgust.

"Ew," Mimi grimaced. "Dad, that's disgusting!"

"Yeah," JC said, nodding his head. "What are you, sick?"

"Come on," Saul coaxed. "You'll be in and out before you know it."

JC and Mimi both sighed and turned to each other, silently agreeing to go ahead and take a shower to both save time and money on the water bill. By taking a bath together, they wouldn't have to wait for the water heater so that they could take a shower separately.

"Has anybody seen Marty?" Serena asked, referring to her golden brown-haired shy child.

"He already left," a new voice announced.

The four rabbits in the room looked up to see the oldest Cuthbert child enter the room. She was Rebecca, a redhead. She fixed herself a glass of orange juice. "He said something about going down to the library and doing some research."

"On what?" Saul asked.

Rebecca gave no answer, but only shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Mom, can I borrow the car this weekend?" Rebecca asked. The redheaded rabbit looked over at her mother.

Her brother JC glared at her. "No! Do you think Mom wants the car smelling like puke again?"

She eyed her younger, masculine brother. "Do you think Mom would like to know about the stash of porn under your bed?"

JC swiped his paw across his throat, telling her to shut up.

Rebecca looked over at her mother once again as the latter approached the table. "So, Mom, can I?"

Serena eyed her oldest daughter as she sat down at the table with her mug of coffee. "Did you say something, sweetie?" She took a sip of her coffee.

Rebecca rolled her eyes and let out a sigh of annoyance. "Nothing important."

Serena grabbed a nearby cup and began pouring it over her food.

Saul looked over at his wife. "Honey, what are you doing? That's milk."

Realizing her mistake, Serena set the cup back on the table. "You know what? I can't do breakfast. I've got to get going." She got up from the table, kissed her husband on the cheek, and walked out of the room, snatching up her purse as she headed towards the front door.

"But can't you see the progress he's making?" Serena asked her partner. "In the past year he's learned how to get along well with others and the hair pulling has stopped."

The overweight black woman beside the female rabbit sighed and turned to her, giving her partner an irritated look. "You're not hearing me. They've cut the funding, completely." She shook her head.

"But Jerry–"

"Is your client, not your son. You need to detach. Stop getting so emotionally involved with your clients."

Serena was about to open her mouth to object when she heard yelling coming from the room behind her. She turned and ran into the room with her partner to see a young brown-haired man struggling as two men attempted to get him calmed down. Upon her walking in the room, he ran to her and she embraced him, patting and rubbing his back, assuring him that everything was all right. She pulled away from him and smiled. "Listen to me, Jerry. Dr. Fayne," she pointed to her partner, "is going to take you to a new place where you'll make lots of new, nice friends. They'll help you. Go on. Go wtth Dr. Fayne." She gently pushed her client towards Dr. Fayne, who led him away.

_I was taken to a place with fenced-in walls and unhappy faces. _

The raccoon's photo was taken before he was taken to the shower room. He ducked as the hot water hit him, holding up his paws as if he thought that this would prevent the water from hitting him. Once the shower was over, he was taken to the cafeteria where he was given his lunch–a cheeseburger, some fries, a muffin, and a white Styrofoam cup. With his tray, he turned and observed the room, looking for a place to sit. He fond a table where a couple of boys were sitting. Once he sat down, the boys got up and moved to a different table.

_It was funny, in a way. The more people I encountered, the more alone I felt. _

His eyes met the brown eyes of a young black man sitting at a table a few feet away from him. The black boy shook his head and went back to eating his meal. The boy glanced at his cup.

"Yo," the boy barked. "Lets' get some juice down here! 'Sup? Everybody taking stupid pills around here? Juice me!"

A worker came by and filled his cup with some orange juice.

The raccoon continued to watch him, observe him. He watched as the black boy lifted his muffin to his mouth and took a bite.

_Most of our time is spent trying to lessen the pains of life. I was about to learn how to quash hunger._

The raccoon followed the boy's exact movements, slowly lifting his muffin to his mouth and taking a bite. He closed his eyes and chewed slowly, concentrating only on the taste of the muffin, the texture it had in his mouth. Once he'd eaten a good amount, he swallowed. He opened his eyes once again to see himself looking back at the black boy's brown eyes.

"You see something you like, punk?" the black boy asked.

The raccoon said nothing. He only continued to stare back at the boy.

"Go kick his ass, man," another boy suggested to the black kid.

The black boy stood up and approached the raccoon sitting at the table.

A black guard came and placed a hand on the black boy's shoulder. "Take it easy, Skinner. He can't understand a word you're saying. He ain't dissing you, man."

The black boy identified as Skinner nodded his head. "All right. If he keeps eyeballing me, I'm gonna have to kick his retarded ass." He glared down at the raccoon.

_I had no reason to fear this person. He reminded me of the snake in the woods . . . just before it struck. _

Skinner turned and walked back to his table and continued to eat his meal.

"Yeah, bitch, how do you like me now?" JC asked as he shot some Germans on the television screen. Aside from his commentary on the television screen, the only other sounds in the room were his fingers tapping against the buttons on the controller.

"JC," Serena warned as she looked through the mail.

JC sighed as he continued to play his video game.

Serena looked down, noticing that a plate of Oreos and peanut butter was resting on the table. She watched as Joanna ate an Oreo covered in peanut butter. She bent down and stroked her daughter's hair. "Looks like you could use a hug."

Joanna snorted. "Sure, Mom, that will solve everything."

"Don't take it personally, Mom," JC replied. "Her friend's in town."

Joanna and Serena both glared at him. "JC!"

Hearing the phone ring, Serena got up and went into the hall.

"You know," JC said, "if you were in Africa, they'd put you in a special hut." He clicked his tongue. "Boo-lay, boo-lay! Joanna in de hut!" He clicked his tongue again. "Boo-lay, boo-lay!" He winced as Joanna smacked him upside the head before she left the room. Shaking his head, he got the dizziness out of his head and went back to playing his game.

"Hey, Lou," Serena said as she answered the phone. "What's up?"

"I got someone here who I know you're gonna want to meet," Lou, the black guard, told her.

Serena raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who?"

"Some campers found him in the woods."

"I see. So what nutcase sent him to your facility."

Lou chuckled. "No, it's not like that." He went down some steps, the raccoon walking alongside him and another guard behind him. "Anyway, he's . . . well . . ." He glanced at the raccoon. "Look, you're just gonna have to come down and see him for yourself."

"I'll see if I can."

"He's made some enemies, the wrong ones, and my instincts tell me he's not going to last but a few days here."

She sighed. "I'm on my way."

"Thanks for coming down and seeing him," Lou said.

Serena nodded her head. "No problem." She glanced at the raccoon, who stood at a table, constantly tapping various colored crayons against a piece of paper.

"You know," Lou said, "he kind of reminds me of my brother Colin. He got all the looks in the family."

Serena smiled. "That's perfect. Colin."

The raccoon looked up at the pair.

"Well," Lou added, "he doesn't speak, but damned if he don't know what you're saying." He turned to the door. "I'll be outside if you need anything."

"Thanks." Once Lou had left, she approached the table and watched as Colin continued to tap different colored crayons against the paper he was staring down intently at. Once he was done, he slapped his crayon down on the table and glanced at his drawing.

_I wanted to show her where I'd come from and what I'd seen. _

Colin lifted the picture and turned it so that it was facing Serena.

When she saw the picture that Colin had drawn, her mouth fell open. It was the same man and woman that he had encountered in the woods, yet the image was captured so realistically that it looked as if was an actual photograph. She closed her mouth when she realized that Colin was mimicking her action. He closed his mouth as well and when she smiled, he smiled back at her.

"So let me see if I understand this," Serena said to Lou. "This kid has no memory, no family that you're aware of, and he was found just wandering around in the woods."

"Well, that's all it says in his file," Lou replied. "One other thing, too." He clapped a hand on Colin's shoulder and turned him, lifting up his shirt. "No belly button."

Serena squinted. "How can you tell?"

"Well, usually when the mother bites off the umbilical cords of her young, it'll leave a scar. No scar was found."

She shook her head, trying to process this. "But how is that possible? How can he not have a belly button?"

Lou shrugged. "I don't know." He sighed heavily. "So you'll take him in?"

She nodded her head. "Only for a few days, at least until social services can find a permanent home for him."

"Great."

She frowned. "Though, I suppose I should talk it over with my family first. He'll be all right here for one night, won't he?"

Lou smiled at her. "I assure you, he will be. I won't let anything happen to him."

"Good. Thanks, Lou."

Serena cleared her throat at the dinner table that evening, getting the attention of her children and husband. "I have some news that concerns us all," she announced. "A client of mine needs a place to stay. It isn't safe where he's staying right now, so until social services can find him a home, he's going to be staying with us for a few days."

"You mean Jerry the Retard?" JC asked.

"You're telling me that some nutcase is going to be living in our house?" Mimi asked.

"I don't want him touching my things," Marty said.

"Mom, I don't think this a good idea," Joanna added.

"Why didn't you talk to us about this first?" Rebecca demanded.

"Okay, that's enough," Saul barked. "If your mother says he's going to be living with us for a few days, then he is and that's final. Understood?"

The children sighed heavily, but nonetheless nodded their heads in agreement.

Serena gave her husband a smile of appreciation. "Thank you, Saul."

Colin arrived at the home the next day. With Serena, he walked into the house.

"Well, here we are," Serena said. "Home sweet home. You'll be living here for a couple of days until I can . . ." She stopped and watched as Colin observed the various pictures on the walls.

_My first thought was that flat, tiny people must have been living in the walls. _

Colin turned and viewed the various pictures ascending up the stairs, the pictures acting as a time line from the age of the children now to when they were young little tykes.

_Then I understood. People grow younger over the years. _

He spotted a picture of Serena holding a very young Rebecca.

_Maybe one day this woman would hold me, too. _

Something metallic caught his eye and he turned his head, approaching the family computer. Right now, it was on the screen saver, casting lines of brilliant color across the screen, morphing into different shapes and shading into different colors as time went on.

_The images on the screen made my mind explode with mathematical formula. _

"Would you like to play a game, Colin?" Serena asked. "Here." She gestured towards the chair and he sat down. "Lots of kids have fun with this one." She pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and a program that was obviously meant for a child came onto the screen. She motioned his paw over to the mouse. "This is called a mouse. When you move it . . ." She stopped when he began moving the cursor on the screen and clicked on a bird sitting in a tree. The bird flapped its wings and spoke.

"Hello," the bird said. "I am a bird. I fly high into the sky. Watch the sky and watch me fly."

Serena left the room as the phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, how's everything going?" Saul asked.

"Oh, great, Saul," Serena replied. "He's on the computer right now."

"Honey, are you sure you don't need me there?"

"Relax. I'll be fine." She walked in the kitchen.

"A little old for Barney, aren't we, Cody?" a voice asked.

Colin turned his head and saw a redheaded rabbit staring back at him, a towel draped over her body. The rabbit cursed under her breath, quickly covered herself, and darted to the kitchen.

_I then realized that something was wrong. _

Colin stared down at a picture of the redheaded rabbit by the computer.

_People grow older as they age, not younger._

"Why didn't you tell me he was in the house?" Rebecca asked her mother. "I think he saw my vagina."

Saul, having overheard this bit of dialogue, demanded, "What did she just say?"

Serena shooed her daughter away and addressed her husband. "It's nothing, dear. I've got to go." She was about to set the phone down when she heard it ring again. "Hello?" A few minutes later, she walked in the living room and noticed Joanna reclining on the couch. "Hey, there's an emergency at work. I've got to run out for a bit. Watch Colin for me."

"I will, Mom," Joanna replied.

"I mean it, Joanna! Watch him!" She turned to Colin. "I'll be right back," she told him. The door closed as she left the house.

The phone lying by Joanna rang. She picked it up. "Hello? Oh, hi, Brittany. No, Alvin hasn't called me yet. You know me. I felt weird when Simon touched me 'cause all I could think about were these warts on his hand." She got up and left the room as she continued her conversation.

Colin turned back to the computer, then suddenly stopped when he heard music coming from somewhere. Following his sense of hearing, he slipped outside and began walking along the sidewalk.

_It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. It was part mathematics and part . . . euphoria. _

He approached the Miller residence where he detected the beautiful music was coming from. Opening the door, he turned towards the source of the sound and noticed a brown-haired girl playing on the piano.

_I felt as if this sound was a gift for the world, created so that all who heard it were filled with an inner joy. _

Slowly, Colin approached the piano.

_The sound filled me with an inner longing. My heart was in sorrow and ached for all those who could not hear it. _

"Jeanette, I'm home," a blond-haired woman said as she walked in the house, momentarily distracting Colin from the piano.

Colin felt a lump in his throat as his emotions began to get the better of him. A stray tear ran down the side of his face and he let out a soft whimper. At his sudden cry, the player of the music suddenly stopped and turned to him, revealing that she was wearing glasses and had a set of gorgeous blue eyes. He panicked and backed up in an attempt to run away, tripping over his tail and falling to the floor. He scrambled to his feet and ran out the door.

_My stomach felt tight and my face felt hot. I felt sick and most of all, I wanted to disappear. _

Colin lied in the bathtub, his legs drawn up to his chest and his paws folded by his head, shivering, shuddering. The heat in his face wasn't leaving. His tail was wrapped around his feet. He reached down with one paw and cradled it to his body, as if it was to serve as some sort of shield that would protect him from harm.

He heard the door open and close, but did not move.

Setting his backpack down, JC hopped up onto the toilet and sat down. Dragging his backpack over to his side, he reached inside and pulled out a _Playpen _magazine and began flipping through it, smiling to himself. Hearing something part, he turned his head to see a raccoon peeking from behind the curtain, watching him. He screamed and darted out the bathroom door, taking the magazine with him, but discarding his backpack. He ran out into the hall, tripping over his own feet. The magazine went flying out of his paws and sailed beyond the railing of the stairs. He quickly got to his feet to see his mother picking up the magazine off one of the steps. "Mom, run! There's some crazy psycho in the shower!" When his mother gave him a questioning look, he swallowed and turned away from her.

"It's okay, JC," Serena assured her son as she continued to make her way up the stairs. She walked past him to Colin. "This is Colin, the client I was telling you about."

JC feigned a smile. "Nice to meet you . . ., pervert."

Serena glared at him. She walked over to him as she said, "The only reason I am letting that slide is because I have a favor to ask of you. I would like Colin to bunk in the boys' bedroom tonight."

"Are you kidding? This guy's got bed wetter written all over him."

"Well, I'm only asking."

JC sighed. "Fine, but you better bust out the rubber sheets." He walked past the pair towards the boys' bedroom.

"Have you seen Joanna? She was supposed to watch him."

"I think she's on the phone. Someone like . . . Mrs. Planned Parenthood?" He smiled as he closed the bedroom door.

_I was starting to feel as if my presence here was turning these people against one another. _

Serena approached the girls' bedroom and opened the door, glaring down at her daughter. "You and I are going to have a talk."

Joanna frowned. "Oh, no. Did something happen to Colin?"

"You mean besides him going outside by himself?" She glanced at Colin's muddy feet before scowling back at her daughter. "You can forget about Nathan's party." She slammed the door shut.

Saul smiled as he felt his wife press up against his neck. "Hi, honey." He turned to his wife as she stood beside him. "So what's wrong with Joanna? She seems upset."

"She's just having a hard time understanding what responsibility means," Serena replied.

Saul turned towards Colin, who he had just realized was in the room with them. "Oh, is this the, uh . . ."

"Colin, this is my husband, Saul. Or Paul, if you prefer. It really doesn't matter which one."

"How do you do, Colin?" Saul extended his paw. When Colin didn't respond, he cocked his head to the side and smiled. "I'm happy to make your acquaintance." Still, he received no response. He whispered to his wife, "Can he understand a word I'm saying?"

Serena whispered back, "I don't think so."

Saul shrugged. "Well, at least he doesn't look dangerous."

Noticing smoke rising into the air, Colin glanced down at a tool and began to reach for it.

"Watch it," Saul warned, gently grabbing Colin's wrist. "It's hot. Hot!" He began to animatedly demonstrate the consequences of touching something hot, grabbing his finger and whining in a childlike voice.

_Whereas some people spoke rather inefficiently, this person was clearly a gifted speaker. _

Colin hungrily scarfed down his dinner, keeping his eyes down, too busy enjoying his meal to pay attention to the others.

"I still can't believe some nutcase is living with us," Joanna groaned.

Saul glared at his children. "Guys, what did I say about giving your mother some leverage?!"

_There are are over 800,000 words in the English language, but the eye speak a language all on their own with their narrowing, sideways glancing, crossing, blinking, and dilation. _

Colin ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth. His throat felt dry.

_I was dying of thirst, but my language skills were very primitive, so I relied on phrases I'd learned at the detention center. _

He looked up as Serena entered the room and barked, "Yo," causing everyone to stop and stare. "Let's get some juice down here!" He noticed that the others remained motionless. "'Sup? Everybody taking stupid pills around here? Juice me!" He lifted his glass.

"Oh, man," Cody cried, "he's like that dude from _John Doe_." He stopped and gave a thoughtful look. "Or was that _John From Cincinnati_?"

JC stared at him and rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "God, Cody, I swear, you are such a loser," he said under his breath, causing his mother to glare at him.

"Did he just learn to talk in one day?" Mimi asked.

Saul chuckled. "No, Mimi, that's impossible." He frowned and looked at his wife to make sure. "Right, honey?"

Serena only stared at Colin. "Can you understand me, Colin? Go on, do it again."

"Mom!" JC sounded as if he was offended. "Is that the way you talk to a dog? 'Go on, do it again?' Watch this. Colin, speak."

"I felt weird when Simon touched me," Colin said, "because all I could think about were these warts on his hand."

Saul smiled at first, then frowned and stared at Joanna, who quickly covered her mouth with her napkin as she blushed.

JC smiled, as if enjoying himself at his sister's expense. "Simon. Nice one!" He leaned across the table and lifted his paw for a high-five. Colin did nothing but stare at his own paw.

"It's amazing," Serena said as she sat down. "Autism usually involves mimicry, but Colin behaves unlike any other autistic I've ever seen."

"So, can he understand us or not?" Saul asked.

Serena shrugged. "That's hard to say. I'm going to have to have him tested."

After brushing his teeth, JC entered the boys' bedroom. Cody and Marty were already in their bunk beds asleep. He crashed onto his bed and turned to look at Colin, who was wide awake in the makeshift bed that had been prepared for him by the bunk beds. "You are one weird dude, you know that?"

Colin only stared at him.

"You're not going to do anything weird in the middle of the night, right?" JC asked.

Colin said nothing.

JC suddenly noticed something; his pack of Sour Patch Kids was lying on the bedside table. He sneered at Colin. "Hey! Hands off the stash!" He put the sour candies back in the drawer. "My Sour Patch Kids are sacred." He sighed. "Well, sleep tight, weirdo." He shut off the lamp on the bedside table and turned on his side.

"Okay, boys, come on, let's go," Serena stated to JC and Colin. The two of them got in the car and she got in the driver's seat. They drove to a testing center where Colin was given a series of tests and JC was expected to grade them.

_It only took me a while to understand the tests. _

Colin handed JC yet another test.

JC gawked at him. "Slow down there, man. I haven't even finished grading the last one."

"You're kidding me," Serena said as she approached the table they were sitting at. 'That was an hour-long test. What, did he get through it in five minutes?"

Either JC didn't get that she was being sarcastic or he thought she was asking a legitimately honest question. Regardless, he nodded his head as he said, "Yeah, and he got them all right."

Colin only smiled.

"What is this kid?" JC wondered out loud. "Seriously?!" He shook his head. "Freaky, man."

Serena grabbed the phone and dialed a number. "Yes, Dr. Fields, please."

"Try not to move, Colin," Serena said as the raccoon was moved towards the MRI machine.

In the other room, two doctors were watching the monitors with JC.

"Oh, damn," one of the doctors grumbled. He glanced at his partner. "I told you to fix this thing."

"It was working fine earlier," the second doctor objected. "I ran two MRI's this morning."

JC raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Look," the first doctor said, "the machine is on the fritz. You're gonna have to come back later."

"What's the problem?"

The first doctor pointed to the monitor with his pen. It showed the image of Colin's brain. "You see this whole area that's red?"

JC nodded his head. "Yeah."

"That's the active part of the brain."

"I don't get it. What's the problem?"

"Okay," the first doctor said, "you and I use seven percent of our brains, at any given moment. Einstein used nine percent of his brain. Frederick here," he pointed to his portly assistant, "uses two percent of his brain."

The doctor identified as Frederick glared at his partner.

"This much activity going on in his brain at once," the first doctor continued, "could make him prone to all kinds of problems such as seizures, tumors, and so and so forth."

_Once I'd learned that people were quite territorial, I realized that it was necessary to make up with JC. _

JC entered the boys' bedroom to see that there was something poking out underneath his pillow. He pulled it out to discover that it was the pornographic magazine that he'd had earlier. Once his mother had taken it away from him, she'd hidden it somewhere. He remembered telling Colin about how much he missed having the magazine in his possession, so he had a good guess of who had found his magazine for him.

He found Colin outside by the basketball goal, rotating the basketball with his foot. He held up his magazine. "Did you find this?"

Colin nodded. "Yes."

JC gave the raccoon a questioning look. "Why did you do that?"

"You said you missed her."

JC smiled. "Thanks, man." He nodded towards the basketball. "Go ahead. Take a shot."

Colin only gave the rabbit a confused expression.

JC chuckled. "Okay. Here, let me see it." He took the basketball once Colin had removed his foot and jumped up, the basketball being released from his fingertips. The basketball sank into the net and bounced a couple of times before JC grabbed it. "Now you try it." He tossed the ball to Colin.

The raccoon mimicked JC's exact movements and the ball sailed through the net.

"Nice," JC complimented.

Hearing voices coming from the driveway, Saul made his way over, opening the gate of the fence. He watched the pair for a while.

The net made a swooshing sound as it went through the net once again.

"Nice," Colin echoed before taking another shot with the basketball.

Seeing the boys getting along, Saul smiled and went back to tending to the garden in the backyard.

"Come on, where are you?" Saul questioned as he typed on his computer.

Colin was busy playing with a spool to keep himself entertained. The spool fell to the floor near some mousetraps as the string began to unravel from it. The mousetraps caught Colin's attention and put his finger forward.

"Don't touch that," Saul instructed. When Colin looked back at him, he added, "Those are for killing rats."

Colin stood up. "Rats are your enemy?"

Saul shook his head. "No, but when they start chewing through the walls and such . . ." He sighed when Colin gave him a puzzled look. "No, Colin, we don't want them in the house."

"So, you kill them?"

Saul sighed once again, as if in annoyance. "Yeah, I guess." He went back to typing on his computer and smiled. "Ha! There it is." He sighed happily as he reached forward, accidentally knocking over his mug of coffee. The coffee spilled onto the computer and sparks flew. "Oh! Damn it!" He kicked at a nearby box and began searching in another one for anything he could use to wipe up the mess.

Colin walked over to a nearby laptop and lifted the screen. All he saw was a blue screen and a computer code constantly appearing.

_Whereas human language was confusing and self-contradictory, this language made perfect mathematical and logical sense that– _

The wet computer gave a spark, causing Colin to jump.

"Oh, come on," Saul groaned. He walked over to the computer, but suddenly stopped when he saw Colin typing quite rapidly on the laptop beside him. He walked over to the raccoon and watched as the picture he'd been looking for appeared on the screen. "There it is!" He looked at Colin. "How did you . . ."

Colin only smiled.

"Okay, Colin will be done in a few minutes," Serena said as she sat down at the table. "And before you all jump down my throat," she eyed her children, "I'd like you all to think about something. I was thinking-or rather, I was _hoping_-that you guys wouldn't mind if Colin stayed with us for a few more days."

Before the group could answer, footfalls were heard and Colin entered the kitchen and sat down at the table.

JC took Colin's glass and filled it with some fresh sweet tea and set it down in front of Colin's plate. He smiled over at his mother.

Joanna, Rebecca, Mimi, and Saul each began filling Colin's plate with various food, while Cody and Marty offered Colin various foods as well, such as rolls or mashed potatoes.

Serena merely gave each other of them a smile of appreciation, and she thought she would be moved to tears by the look of gratitude on Colin's face.

"Come on, guys, let's go," Dave called. "Dinner."

"Hold on," Simon said. He turned up the volume on the television as Dave walked in the living room.

"Our top story tonight," the newsman said. "A lost raccoon was found in the middle of the woods two days ago by some campers. As far as we know, the raccoon doesn't speak and he has no memory of how he wound up in the woods. Social services is currently attempting to find a permanent home for the boy. He is currently taking residence at the home of a child psychologist, who wishes to remain anonymous. We'll keep you posted on this story as it develops. In other news . . ."

The four family members were so interested in the news story that they all jumped as they heard the phone ring.

"Hello?" Dave said. "Oh, hi, Renee. Yeah, we're watching it right now . . ."

Erik sighed as he measured Marshmallow's waist. The white skunk giggled as the tape tickled her belly, but otherwise stayed still. "You know," he said, "if you keep eating like you have been, you're going to end up as fat as me."

Marshmallow giggled once more. "You make that sound like a bad thing." She watched her older brother as he stood up and wrote down the measurement. "And it's not my fault I've been so hungry lately. I'm going through a growth spurt right now."

"Which reminds me. We're gonna have to go shopping soon and get you some bigger diapers. Are the aches and pains still keeping you awake at night?" He set the clipboard down on the table beside him.

"Well, you should know, seeing as how I've been sleeping with you these past few nights."

He smiled down at her and ruffled the silver-gray fur on her head, making her smile up at him in return. "Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's go eat, huh?"

"Yeah!" She dashed into the kitchen, waiting to be strapped into her high chair.

Erik entered the kitchen just as Renee was getting off the phone. He didn't want to be nosey, but he couldn't help but be curious. "Who was that?" He strapped Marshmallow into her high chair and gave her her plate of food and her bottle of milk before he sat down at the table.

"That was Dave," Renee told her son, sitting down at the table. "Have you heard this news story of this raccoon that some campers found in the woods?"

The fat skunk nodded his head. "Yeah, I read about it in the papers. Quite interesting, actually. Maybe he could come live with us."

"I don't see that happening," Renee replied.

"Why not?" Erik asked.

"I think he's cute," Marshmallow said.

"Marshmallow," Renee and Erik scolded.

"What?" the white skunk asked.

Erik shook his head as he ate a forkful of his food. "Hormones start earlier with each generation."

**A/N: Before anyone jumps down my throat, starts flaming this story, and starts bashing my writing skills, let me just say that all of these individual stories going on will come together as soon in the upcoming chapters. Give it time. I will not accept anyone bashing this story for its use of original characters. However, constructive criticism is appreciated. Please read and review. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Colin stared at JC while he slept.

_They called it nighttime, a period in time in which they did nothing. Said nothing. However, sometimes they made strange noises. How could they sleep when there was so much to explore? _

Colin crept downstairs and entered the kitchen. Stopping by the fridge, he opened it and glanced inside.

_My mouth watered at the scrumptious food that lay before me. I wasn't sure where to start, so I tried a little bit of everything. The varied tastes and textures made my taste buds explode and caused my brain to release an adequate amount of endorphin, creating a sense of uttermost happiness. Eating filled me with a sense of euphoria that I didn't want to leave, and I secretly hoped that there was no escape from it. _

Colin belched as he left the kitchen rubbing his full, protruding white-furred tummy. He hiccuped while he made his way towards the living room. He smiled as he spotted a bag of Sour Patch Kids resting on the coffee table. Picking the sour candies up, he sat down on the couch, his butt pressing against the television remote. He jumped as the television suddenly sprang to life, showing a Japanese samurai film with English subtitles. He watched the action on the screen intently, silently eating Sour Patch Kids as he did so.

The family members soon came out of their rooms soon thereafter, hearing the noise of the television. As they neared the living room, they saw Colin flawlessly imitating the moves of the samurai on the television. Spotting them, he turned and said in Japanese, "The time has come to conquer the dragon."

"It's three o' clock in the morning, Colin," Saul gently scolded the raccoon. "What were you thinking?"

"Relax, Saul," Serena replied. "He didn't know any better."

"You should be sleeping," Saul went on.

Colin shook his head. "I don't sleep."

"You mean not tonight," JC said.

Colin looked at him. "I mean not ever."

"Colin," Saul said, "you've been living with us for two weeks. You're telling me you haven't slept, not once?"

"No," Colin replied.

"We'll clean this mess up tomorrow," Serena said. "Everybody go back to bed. Come on, Colin."

_I had learned not to touch things while the Cuthberts were asleep. So, I went outside. _

Colin walked along the sidewalk, enjoying the warm nighttime air. Every now and then, a car would go by. Other than that, there was silence. He stopped when he heard a dog barking at him. He looked down and stared at the dog for a moment or two and the dog instantly whined, backing away from him, becoming silent.

"Wow," a voice said. "How did you do that?"

The raccoon looked up to see Jeanette sitting on her windowsill, looking down at him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked him.

"Can't sleep," he told her.

She shook her head. "Me either. When I can't sleep, I like to sit here and look up at the stars." Her head shot up towards the blackened sky. "They're so beautiful."

Colin looked up as well.

"You know," Jeanette added, "I bet your real family is looking for you. I mean, they have to be. You didn't just come from the sky, Colin. Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep. You should too."

Colin nodded his head and said goodbye to her before walking down the sidewalk towards the Cuthbert household. Closing the door, he felt someone bump into him, followed by a gasp. He turned around to see Joanna behind him.

"What are you doing up?" she hissed at him.

"Walking," Colin said flatly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Joanna?" Serena asked.

"Great," Joanna groaned. Sighing, she turned around, folding her arms.

"What are you doing up?" Serena asked, descending the stairs with her husband.

"I heard Colin down here," Joanna replied, pointing to the raccoon behind her.

"Fully dressed?" Serena inquired, raising an eyebrow. She pointed to the shirt that was covering her daughter's chest.

"Mom, I–"

"Upstairs, now," Serena barked.

Joanna once again sighed and ventured up the stairs.

"Colin, you too," Serena said. "Come on, let's go."

Colin nodded his head and followed the two adult rabbits back upstairs. While Serena went back to bed, Saul went with Colin back to the boys' bedroom. "You want to tell me what you were doing up, Colin?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Colin replied as he lied down.

"What's going on?" JC asked, sitting up.

"It's nothing," Saul replied. "Go back to sleep."

JC sighed and rested his head back on his pillow.

"What did you do?" Saul asked, turning back to Colin.

"I went outside" Colin told him.

Saul raised an eyebrow. "You went outside, Colin?"

"Yes. I was looking at the stars."

"Well, now's not the time for stargazing, Colin. Now's the time to get some sleep." He patted Colin's shoulder. "See you in the morning." He turned and walked out of the room.

The next day, Colin was taken to the doctor's office. He looked at the various magazines while he and Serena sat in the waiting room. However, he quickly grew bored with reading the various articles and looking at the pictures, so he opted to looking around the room. There were others within the room, sitting at different chairs. There were three furry chipmunks, each one wearing a distinctly different colored sweater and one wearing a bright red cap that went with his read sweater. They each looked very different in appearance. One of them was very tall and was wearing glasses. The second one, slightly shorter than the tall one, had a giant "A" on his sweater. The third one, the shortest of the trio, was very chubby and had very round, furry cheeks.

There was also a trio of skunks. There were two white and black ones, while there was a very small, diapered skunk that was completely white. In lieu of the traditional white stripes, she had silver-gray fur for her markings. The white skunk sat sucking on her pacifier as she looked around the room. The two black and white skunks were of a different gender. He could tell this based on their sitting positions and their facial features, including the structure of their faces. The female had thinner cheeks whereas the male had rounder, fluffier cheeks. The fatter of the two was clearly the older-looking skunk's son. The white skunk sat in the mother's lap while her son was busy reading a book.

The white skunk suddenly climbed down from her mother's lap and began crawling towards Colin.

"Marshmallow, get back here," the mother hissed angrily.

Colin watched as the white skunk identified as Marshmallow crawled closer to him, nuzzling his feet with her nose. It made him giggle. She looked up when he got to his feet and picked her up. He cradled her in his arms and carried her back over to her mother.

"Thank you," the mother said as she took her daughter.

Marshmallow reached out for the handsome raccoon.

"Hmm," the mother said. "She seems to like you."

Colin said nothing.

"Are you new around here?" the mother inquired. "I've never seen you around here before."

As if suddenly noticing that his mother was talking to someone, the fat skunk looked up from the book he was reading and turned his head towards the raccoon. "I recognize you," he said, pointing at the nocturnal mammal. "You're that raccoon that was found in the woods a fortnight ago."

Again, Colin said nothing.

"Well, how do you do?" the mother skunk asked, extending her paw for a shake. "I'm Renee." She pointed to her overweight son. "This is Erik. And this," she pointed to the baby skunk in her arms, "is Marshmallow."

Colin smiled down at Renee and took her paw and shook it, as he'd learned in the past two weeks, having become better acquainted with greetings.

"Will you be going to the same school as me?" Erik asked. "I go to Thomas Edison High School."

Colin simply shrugged.

The fat skunk nodded his head towards his sister. "Marshmallow here goes to Thomas Edison Elementary School. She's in the fourth grade; she'll be going to the middle school pretty soon."

"So what brings you to the doctor's office?" Renee asked.

Colin shook his head. "I don't know. What are you here for?"

"Shots," a voice barked.

The four of them turned to see the tallest of the chipmunk children looking at them.

"At least that's what we're here for," the tall chipmunk added, pointing to him and the other two chipmunk children sitting beside him.

Renee nodded, agreeing with the boy's explanation.

"Unfortunately," Erik agreed, visibly cringing.

"And my daughter here, to put it bluntly, has been eating like a little piggy lately." She playfully poked her daughter's belly, thankfully softening her verbal blow to her daughter and making her cackle in delight. "I'm just looking to make sure that nothing's wrong with her. May be just a growth spurt, we don't know yet."

"I told you what it was," Erik told her.

"Colin . . . Cuthbert," a nurse called.

Serena stood up. "Come on, Colin." She led Colin down the hallway, away from the friendly skunks, towards the doctor's office.

"Dr. Duvall will be right with you," the nurse told them once they'd entered the office, then shut the door and walked down the hall.

The doctor walked in shortly afterward, carrying a clipboard with him. He introduced himself to Colin, having no need to do so with Serena since the two of them were familiar with one another. He checked Colin's ears, then his mouth.

_I had no idea what he was looking for. Maybe I would find it in him. _

Colin pried the doctor's mouth open and tilted his head to look inside, making the doctor laugh slightly.

"He's perfectly healthy," Dr. Duvall assured Serena while Colin looked around the room. "There aren't any signs of injury, mental illness, or any of the sort."

Serena turned towards Colin. "Why don't you go out into the waiting room? I'll be out shortly."

The raccoon nodded his head and left the room. He went to the waiting room as instructed and knelt down to the table in the center of the room. He spotted a puzzle box lying on the top. He spilled out the puzzle pieces onto the table and began to put them together.

"So," Dr. Duvall said, walking out into the hall with Serena, "are there any concerns I should be notified about?"

"Well, my only concern is that he isn't sleeping," Serena told him.

"Hmm." He scribbled something on a notepad and handed it to her once he'd ripped it off. "Give him one of these. Guaranteed to put him to sleep. He should sleep throughout the night."

"Great. Thanks." She turned her head towards the waiting room when she and the doctor heard a couple of gasps and utterances of surprise coming from the waiting room down the hall. They both walked down the hall towards the room to see Colin by the table with a full puzzle laid out in front of him. As he put the last two pieces of the puzzle together in their right places, the people in the room applauded.

The kettle hissed and Serena poured Colin a cup of hot milk. "Warm milk always helps me sleep," she told him. She added a couple teaspoons of honey and mixed the two together, carefully handing Colin the teacup. "Be careful; it's hot."

"Tastes like cat piss," JC said, walking in the room. He grabbed a can of soda from the fridge.

"JC," Serena warned.

"What does cat piss taste like?" Colin wondered out loud.

JC shrugged. "How should I know?"

"But you just said–"

"It's an expression, Colin," Serena interrupted. She turned towards her son. "Leave, now."

"Whatever." JC turned and left the room, opening up his can of sofa and taking a swig.

Serena lifted her own teacup to her lips and took a sip. She smiled as Colin took a drink. "Any good?"

Colin smiled as he swallowed the hot, sweet liquid. "It's good." He took another drink.

Colin sighed in content as he lied in the tub, surrounded by bubbles and hot water. Like any carefree child, the raccoon enjoyed taking the bubbles and doing various things with them, such as making a beard and mustache for himself or making a tower. He smiled down at the rubber ducky by his side and began moving it across the water, making little quacking noises as he went. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Saul sitting on the toilet by the tub, reading a magazine while he waited for the raccoon to be finished with his bath. The male rabbit was merely monitoring him to make sure that he didn't drown.

Serena poked her head in the room. "Having fun?"

"One of us is," Saul said, watching Colin.

Serena crept closer to her husband and whispered, "So, listen. I was thinking that we'd bunk in the boys' room tonight, just to make sure Colin doesn't sneak off. Would that be okay?"

Saul nodded his head. "Yeah, that should be fine. We'll work in shifts. I've got to get up early tomorrow for a presentation."

"I'll watch him for as long as I can, then you take over. This way, we'll both get at least a little bit of sleep."

"Okay, fine."

"Okay, Colin," Saul said, "you've had some warm milk, a hot bath. You should be rearing to go to sleep."

Serena entered the room carrying a glass of water and a pill in the palm of her paw. She sat down on the edge of Colin's bed and extended the objects to him. "Now all you have to do is take this."

"And then I'll sleep?" Colin asked.

Serena nodded her head.

After a moment, Colin said, "I took it."

JC merely rolled his eyes and shook his head at this.

Serena chuckled.

"No," Saul corrected, laughing lightly. "You have to . . ." He motioned to his mouth.

Colin understood and popped the pill into his mouth, chasing it down with the water that had been provided to him. He chugged down the water in one swig. He handed the empty glass back to Serena, who merely set the glass on the bedside table.

"I'll be down the hall if you need me," Saul said. "Sleep tight, Colin." He walked down the hall towards the bedroom that he and his wife shared.

"Okay," Serena replied. "Thanks, honey." She got up and walked over to the door, where a sleeping bag had been placed, accompanied by a pillow. She reclined against the pillow, not fully lying down, watching the raccoon. After a while, she asked, "Still not tired?"

Colin, who was wide awake, shook his head. "No."

"Try counting back from a hundred. If that doesn't work, try counting back from a thousand."

"Okay."

Throughout the evening, Saul and Serena took turns watching Colin. Meanwhile, Colin took Serena's advice and mentally counted down from one thousand. Serena accidentally fell asleep during one of her shifts and when she woke up, Colin was still wide awake.

"Four hundred five," Colin said.

"Still counting?" Serena asked. She looked over at the digital clock resting on the bedside table. Upon seeing that it was thirty-five minutes past nine o' clock, she cursed under her breath and sprinted down the hallway towards her and her husband's bedroom. Saul was sleeping soundly in their bed. She shook him. "Saul? Saul!"

Her husband jolted awake. He looked around. "What is it?"

"We overslept."

"What?" He looked at his watch. He finally sat up, burying his face in his paws. "Damn it, Serena!" He got up and headed towards the closet. "You said he'd only be here for a few days."

"Until social services can find him a permanent home," Serena replied.

"And how much longer is that going to take?" He put on a shirt. "Waking us up in the middle of the night to the point where we have to watch him to make sure he doesn't sneak off. It's liking having another baby in the house!"

"Saul, it's okay–"

"No, it's not okay, Serena! He doesn't belong here!"

Serena's ears drooped at this statement. Hearing the front door close, she walked down the hall towards the boys' bedroom. She noticed that Colin's bed was empty. "Colin?" she asked.

"Okay, we'll each take a part of town," Serena told her children.

"This is my fault," Joanna said. "I should have been nicer to him."

"No, honey," Serena corrected her daughter. "You probably heard me and your father earlier this morning. I think it upset him."

"Well, I was nice to him," JC said. When the others gave him odd looks, he added, "I was!"

"I hope he's okay," Joanna said.

"What do you care?" JC barked.

"Well, I don't anything bad to happen to him," Joanna elaborated.

"We'll spread out and look for him," Saul said. "Your mother and I will take uptown. Joanna, Rebecca, you two take downtown. Mimi and Marty, you two take the park. Cody, JC–"

"Do I have to be saddled with him?" JC groaned, pointing at his portly brother. He shrunk back when his parents glared at him. He folded his arms and pouted. "Fine! But I'm not happy about it!"

"Cody and JC," Saul continued, "you guys check the rest of town. Keep your phones on so we can stay in touch."

"But where would he go?" Mimi asked. "He has nowhere to go."

Serena spotted the picture Colin had drawn on their first encounter. She picked it up off the coffee table and showed it to the others. "Yes, he does," she assured them.

"Why would he come all the way out here?" Rebecca asked as she and her siblings trudged through the woods with their parents. It was dark by now, which was why the group was carrying around flashlights.

"This is where he was found," Serena said. "This is the only place he has a clear memory of. It makes sense that he would come here."

"But, Mom," Joanna whined, "we've been walking around the woods for _hours_!"

JC smacked her in the back of the head. "Quit your whining."

"I'm not whining; I'm complaining." She smacked his arm. "And don't hit me!"

"What's that up ahead?" Saul shone his flashlight on something brown up ahead on top of a stump.

"Colin," Serena cried, running ahead of the group. "Colin!" She looked up at him as he turned.

"What are you doing out here?" Marty asked.

"I came so my real family could find me," Colin replied.

Saul smiled. "I think you just did." He extended a paw and Colin took it, bending down so that he could get down safely. "Relax. We got you," he added lovingly when Colin shook as he suddenly stumbled.

Colin shook his head, getting rid of the excess water trapped in his fur. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. Water fell from his chin into the pool of water in the sink.

"Congratulations," Saul said, watching from the doorway of the bathroom. "You look exhausted." He clapped a paw on Colin's shoulder. "Do you feel it?"

Colin nodded his head. "I think so."

"I'll be back in a minute."

Once Saul had left the room, Colin noticed a small red radio resting on the counter beside him. Taking it, he turned it on and went through the channels until he stumbled upon nothing but static–white noise. He set the radio down on the toilet and sat down on the edge of the tub. Slowly, his eyelids began to droop. For whatever reason, the static had an effect on him that made him sleepy. Before he knew it, he was lying down where he was.

_It was wonderful to finally have a few hours of peace and quiet to myself, with nothing to think about or worry about or do. I finally understood why people slept; it was to get away from our problems for a while, to not have anything to worry about, where we could escape from our troubles and worries and simply be by ourselves, locked away in the prison of our subconscious. _

Joanna entered the bathroom a while later to brush her teeth, only to stop when she noticed Colin sleeping in the bathtub. She watched him for a moment before stepping out to the backyard along with her siblings.

"Mom," JC grumbled.

Saul and Serena chuckled.

"It's where he's comfortable," Saul said.

"But the bathroom?" Cody asked.

"At least he's asleep," Serena added.

"Besides," Saul pointed out, "he shouldn't be a problem if all you're doing is brushing your teeth."

"I have to take a shower," JC stated.

"We have two bathrooms in the house," Serena told him. "Use the other bathroom."

Sighing, JC turned and walked back into the house with his siblings.

"Colin," Mimi grumbled, slamming her fist against the bathroom door. "Open the door! I need a shower!"

"We have two bathrooms in this house," JC reminded her.

"Rebecca is using that one," Mimi replied. She once again pounded on the door.

"What's all the noise about?" Saul asked, walking down the hall.

"I can't get in the bathroom," Mimi complained.

"Here, move over," Saul stated. He gently pushed his daughter aside and jiggled the handle before walking down the hall towards the bedroom, returning shortly afterward with a card. He placed the card against the door and had the door open within a few moments.

"Cool," JC cried. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Not a chance," Saul replied. He thought about asking JC to put his credit card back in his wallet, then decided against it and took the card with him in the bathroom where he found Colin still sleeping. He gently shook the raccoon. "Colin? Colin, wake up!"

The raccoon slowly opened his eyes and sat up, stretching.

"Whoa," Mimi groaned, pinching her nose. "You know what? On second thought, I can skip a day of showering. Colin can take my place."

Colin ignored the comments of the gray-haired rabbit and drew the curtain close, bending down to run the water. He turned on the showerhead once he had the water at a suitable temperature and began bathing himself while JC and Mimi brushed their teeth and Saul went downstairs to help his wife prepare breakfast.

"Rebecca, I need clothes," Colin called after his shower.

Rebecca entered the bathroom, not expecting to see Colin drying off in front of her. Recoiling, she dropped the shirt on the floor and closed the door. She folded her arms. "Could you please hurry up and get dressed?"

Colin ignored her as he slipped the shirt on and slipped out of the bathroom. He smiled at the red-haired rabbit and walked with her down to the kitchen. He sat down with the rest of the family, noticing that Rebecca wasn't sitting down with them.

"Are you going to be able to go grocery shopping today?" Saul asked his wife.

Serena shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I have to drop the kids off at school by eight and then I have to be at work by nine o' clock."

_Time. It seemed to dictate their lives, prompting them to do scheduled tasks at a certain hour. I struggled to understand the meaning behind these numbers and how they served as a means of completing tasks and when to do them. _

"Well, I can't do it," Saul said. "I have to be at work by seven thirty and I won't be back home until four."

_There were those numbers again. This time seemed to be important. _

Serena suddenly seemed to notice that her eldest daughter wasn't sitting with them. "Rebecca, you're not joining us?"

Rebecca shook her head, plucking an orange from the fruit basket in the center of the table. "I don't have time," she said simply, beginning to peel the orange while she walked off.

_How could she not have time? It was all they talked about. _

"What are you going to do about Colin?" Saul asked.

"I'm going to take him down to the school and get him registered," Serena told him.

After breakfast, the children grabbed their backpacks and made their way out to the Yukon. Colin sat in the passenger seat beside Serena. She waited until Saul was out of the driveway in his truck before she drove down the driveway and turned onto the street.

"Colin . . . Cuthbert? Is that right?" Mr. Dempsey asked as he observed the raccoon.

"Yes, that's correct," Serena told him. "That's the name we're going with until we can find out his real name."

The vice principal nodded his head. "Right. Mrs. Cuthbert, would you kindly come into my office so we can have a word alone?"

Serena nodded her head. "Colin, you wait out here, okay? I'll be right back."

Colin nodded his head and sat down on the bench that was in the main office.

Mr. Dempsey sat down at his desk and folded his hands, staring at the female rabbit sitting in front of him with her legs crossed. "Mrs. Cuthbert, what type of educating would Colin need to have?"

"I suppose a personal tutor would suffice," Serena said. "Maybe a personal helper in class."

"Before he is enrolled, there are some concerns that I would like to address." He opened a drawer of his desk and set a folder down and opened it. Looking through it, he stated, "It says here that he was placed in a juvenile detention center when he was found." He looked up at her for an explanation.

"He was misplaced there. He is currently living with me."

"He was involved in a confrontation while at said detention center–"

"The boy struck first. Colin never hit back."

Mr. Dempsey looked back down at the papers within the folder. "And it says here that he has no memory of how he wound up in the woods."

"Yes, that's correct."

Mr. Dempsey sighed and closed the folder. "Mrs. Cuthbert, has Colin ever been tested for any mental disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder?"

"No, he hasn't."

"Has a background check been done on him? Does he have a violent past?"

Serena shook her head. "No."

"Then as far as the best interest of the school is concerned, I can't enroll him."

Serena sighed. "He's very bright. He has a real eagerness to learn."

"I still cannot enroll him until I have a more thorough understanding of him. If I were to enroll him and it turns out that he suffers from some mental disorder and he ends up bringing a gun to school, whose ass do you think is going to be on the line? Mine!"

"Is there any sort of test that would suffice for letting you know whether or not he's mentally stable?"

"Intelligence does not necessarily mean that one is not mentally unstable."

Serena stood up and glared at him. "Mr. Dempsey, you're being completely unreasonable!"

"I am only looking out for the best interest of the school, Mrs. Cuthbert. Regardless, there is the entrance exam. I suppose he could take that."

"Give it to him, then. What could it hurt?"

Mr. Dempsey sighed and rubbed a temple. "Against my better judgment, I will administer the test." He stood up. "We have five hours of testing underway. Let's get started."

"He loves math," Serena told him. "That would be a good place to start."

_All around me, I saw people connecting. There didn't seem to be a dominant race or group within this learning facility. People of various races and cultures were talking, laughing. They all seemed happy to see each other. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but wonder: Would I find anyone like me here? _

Colin stood up as he saw Serena exiting the vice principal's office. He walked over to them.

"Hello, Colin," Mr. Dempsey said, extending a hand.

Colin smiled. "What's up?" Instead of shaking the vice principal's hand, he gave it a series of slaps.

The vice principal looked at Serena and shook his head as he rolled his eyes. "Ah, these teenagers and their crazy handshakes." He cleared his throat. "Colin, if you will follow me, I have some tests for you to take."

Serena nodded her head in agreement. "I'll see you later, Colin. Good luck. I'll pick you up at three with the others, okay?" She walked off.

Colin watched her go before following Mr. Dempsey down a hallway and to an isolated room. He blinked as Mr. Dempsey handed him a test. "This isn't math."

"That's American history," Mr. Dempsey told him. "You have one hour to complete it, starting now. I'll be back within the hour to check your progress." With that, he left the room, leaving Colin alone with the test.

Colin opened the test, arriving at the preface. He read through it and then turned to a new page, bringing him to the questionnaire.

_George Washington. _

_The Watergate Scandal. _

_War of 1812. _

_The Thirty Years' War. _

_Nazi Germany. _

_It was nothing but dates and people, outlining the history of the United States of America. It was confusing. I had no idea what information the questions were regarding or asking me to mark as correct. My mind was a total blank as to what the correct answer was and where I could find the information. I racked my brain to see if the answer would come to me, as if by magic, but nothing came to me. I struggled to understand even the most basic of concepts regarding this subject known as "American history." _

He jumped as he heard a tone–a ringing from out in the hall. He turned his head to see out the window of the door, watching as the students walked up and down the hall.

_The students seemed to be disturbed by a certain tone. It seemed to dictate where they went and what they did. It seemed to be some sort of ritual that the students participated in, yet for some reason the teachers didn't participate in this same ritual. Maybe it was only because the students were expected to participate in it. I wasn't entirely sure where to go or what to do. _

"Okay, let's begin," Mr. Norman stated. He pointed to the board. "If anyone can solve this equation by the end of the semester, you'll get extra credit. Now, onto the lesson at hand." He turned to the white board and began writing, listing different types of elements from the Periodic Table, listing their atomic weights and numbers. Hearing some rustling of paper, he turned to see Rebecca reading a note. "Rebecca Cuthbert." He walked over to her. "Would you like to read that note to the rest of the class?"

The rabbit looked up at him and shook her head. "No."

Mr. Norman nodded as he took the slip of paper and put it in the trashcan. "Detention for you, Miss Cuthbert."

A series of snickers rang throughout the room.

"Moving on," Mr. Norman said as he continued to write on the board.

"Okay, Alvin," Ms. Wilkinson said, pointing to the chipmunk, "why don't you read next?"

The chipmunk nodded his head and read the first paragraph. Or rather, attempted to read it. He stuttered throughout his attempt to read, being met with snickers and giggles from the other students.

"That's enough," Ms. Wilkinson barked. She turned towards the rabbit sitting beside Alvin. "JC, why don't you read?"

Flawlessly, JC read the first paragraph while Alvin glared at him the entire time.

"Wonderful," Ms. Wilkinson congratulated.

JC beamed at Alvin, only to quickly turn his head the other way when he met Alvin's scowl.

"Ah, lunchtime," Cody said happily as he grabbed his tray and slid it down the assembly line of food. "The best time of the day."

"You know, Cody, there are more important things besides food," JC told him.

"Like what?" the chubbier rabbit asked.

JC thought for a moment. "Sex," he replied, grinning widely.

"Sex isn't going to help you with your finances, JC," Rebecca told him.

"But sex does keep our species alive, and helps drive the Cuthbert family forward," Joanna added, grabbing a roll. "Don't they have anything vegetarian in this school?" She leaned forward to inspect a hamburger patty. "What is this? Pork steak?"

Cody pointed to another assembly line to their right. "They have salad over there."

Joanna shook her head. "It's too late. We're already in this line."

Cody's ears flattened against his head.

"Has anybody seen Colin?" Mimi asked.

"Mm-mm," JC replied. "I haven't seen him since we first got here. I think Mr. Dempsey is supposed to be giving him some tests or something."

Mr. Dempsey entered the room where he'd left Colin, only to find the test on the table. It was opened, but there weren't any answers circled or filled in. He stared at the test for a moment or two before storming out of the room.

Colin entered Mr. Norman's classroom. It was empty by now. He stared at the white board and smiled as he sat down at an individual desk in the front row.

_Finally, something that made sense. This formula spoke a clear and precise language that I was able to understand. _

Getting up, he walked closer to the board.

"Oh, there he is," Joanna said as she spotted Colin walking in the cafeteria.

"What's he doing in here?" Marty asked. "He can't be done with testing already."

"Have you seen that boy take a test?" JC asked him. "I tell you, he's fast! Mama can vouch for me."

The group of six watched the raccoon as he got his tray of food and paid for it using the money Serena had given him earlier.

_Like back at the detention center, I wasn't sure of where to sit. All of the tables seemed to be empty, filled with students of various colors and races, each speaking their own individual language with each other. _

Colin spotted one empty table within the lunchroom. At the end of it sat a rather fat skunk who was busy reading _Midnight for Charlie Bone_. The raccoon smiled, thankful to have found someone he recognized. With his tray, he walked over to the table and sat down next to him.

The skunk must have been surprised by this because he looked up from his book and stared at the raccoon as he began eating his lunch. "Hi, Colin."

The raccoon looked up at him. "You're Erik, right?"

"Yeah." He fiddled with his paws and looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with Colin, a clear sign that he was feeling awkward. "We met the other day at the doctor's office."

Colin glanced at the cover of Erik's book. "Who's that?" He pointed to the boy on the cover. "George Washington?"

Erik gave the raccoon a puzzled look. "What? No. This is Charlie Bone."

Colin gave the skunk a puzzled look of his own.

"Don't you know anything?"

"No. That's why I came here." He stroked his chin, as if in thought. "Maybe you could help me. I'm having some trouble with this test. . . ."

"Anything you want to know," Erik said as he led Colin throughout the library, "is right here." He stopped before a shelf where a series of World Book Encyclopedias sat. He smiled at the raccoon. "Happy hunting."

"Thank you," Colin said, scanning the books.

"No problem." He patted Colin's shoulder before walking off.

Truthfully, Colin wasn't entirely sure of where to begin, so he decided that he might as well start at the beginning, with book one. While flipping through the book, he walked over to a nearby empty table and sat down. However, none of the items in boldface sounded familiar to him. Just to be safe, he decided to read the items anyway, just in case they might come in handy later on.

"So, how was remedial English?" Joanna asked JC.

"Ugh," JC groaned. "Terrible. Nobody there but a bunch of retards who can't read." Sensing that someone was watching him, he turned his head to see Alvin glaring at him. He turned back to his siblings. "Getting an A in that class will be a cinch."

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked.

JC nodded as he took a drink of his milk. "Positive."

Joanna looked back over her shoulder at Alvin, who was continuing to glare at her older brother. "Who is that guy looking at you like that, JC?"

JC shrugged. "One of the retards who can't read. I'd be surprised if he could get himself dressed in the morning." He chuckled.

"You'd better watch it," Joanna warned. "He seems pretty pissed off."

"He'll get over it," JC insisted. "If baby can't deal with the facts, then let him go cry home to Mommy."

"JC," Mimi hissed.

"What?!" JC barked.

With his coffee, Mr. Norman entered his classroom and sat down at his desk. Sipping his coffee, he observed the exams on his desk. Seeing something out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the equation on his board had been solved. His mouth agape, he stood up and took a closer look. "Somebody solved it," he said to himself. But who?

_Within the afternoon, I'd spanned the globe, learning all about the world's history. More importantly, I learned the material that I needed to in order to pass the exams that I'd been given. I felt as if I could do anything with this new knowledge that had been wedged and locked into my brain. I felt ready to attack the exams and pass them with flying colors. _

Colin let out a soft yawn as he read the last paragraph of the entry that he was currently reading, after which he closed the book and set it on the table.

"You don't have to do it all in one day," a voice said. "You still have the whole school year to learn everything that you need to."

He turned his head to see Jeanette walking over to him.

She gawked at the pile of books resting on the table. "Man, you've really been working. Why don't you come with me and my friends. We're going out for ice cream. School's over anyway."

Colin shook his head. "Two more seconds."

After precisely two seconds, the school bell went off, dismissing the students from their classes to go home.

Jeanette smiled and shook her head as she led Colin out of the library.

"You'd better watch yourself with that Seville kid, JC," Rebecca warned. "I hear he's got real anger issues."

"Thanks for the heads-up," JC replied. He bumped into Alvin's shoulder as he ascended the stairs. The two of stopped and stared at one another, Alvin descending the stairs and JC ascending the stairs.

Finally, Alvin approached JC, sneering down at him. "Think you'd pretty hot stuff, don't you?" He gently shoved JC.

Rebecca caught her brother and turned him towards the hallway. "Just ignore him and let's go."

"What's wrong?" Alvin asked as he advanced towards JC. "No smart ass comment this time?" He punched JC in the gut and the rabbit doubled over, groaning in pain while he gripped his stomach.

"Hey!"

Alvin turned as a new voice was heard. He saw a brown raccoon walking towards him with Jeanette.

The raccoon looked over at JC, who was being led away by Rebecca. He turned back to look at Alvin. "Why did you hit him?"

Alvin gave no response. He simply scowled at the raccoon in front of him. He reared back his fist and attempted to hit the raccoon, only to miss entirely as the raccoon stepped to the side, completely avoiding the punch. The chipmunk turned around, his glare only deepening. He charged at the nocturnal mammal, running into the wall since the raccoon jumped into the air, doing a series of flips before landing on his feet. Once again, Alvin attempted charging him. In his attempt, he almost ran beyond the stairs. He would have fallen if someone hadn't caught him. He turned his head to see that the raccoon was holding onto his red turtleneck sweater. He was pulled back and held tightly, one of the raccoon's arms wrapped around his neck and the other tightly wrapped around his waist, preventing him from moving.

"What's going on here?" a voice barked.

All activity ceased and the students, who had gathered due to the fight, looked up to see Mr. Dempsey, along with Saul, Serena, and Dave looking down at them.

"I'm sorry, but I can't have a student who instigates fights in this school," Mr. Dempsey told Saul and Serena.

"Mr. Dempsey, it didn't look like Colin was instigating a fight," Serena insisted. "It looked like he was stopping a fight."

"Regardless," Mr. Dempsey continued, "I can't have him attending this school. I don't have any medical information on him. I don't know if he suffers from any mental disorders or if he has any anger issues. He showed a total disregard for the rules and regulations that I set for him . . ."

"Rebecca Cuthbert," Mr. Norman said happily as the rabbit entered the classroom. He pointed to a seat in the front row. "Have a seat."

The rabbit sighed and sat down in the desk he'd pointed out.

The science teacher turned back to the board. "I can't believe it. Someone actually did it."

"Wait," Rebecca spoke up. "You mean someone actually solved it?"

"Yeah. I usually give it to students to motivate them. Up until now, no one's solved it. But who?"

"Um, Mr. Norman, if I can point you in the right direction, could we forget about detention?"

Mr. Norman slowly turned towards her and smiled.

"Again," Mr. Dempsey said to Saul and Serena, "until I know more about him, I'm afraid I cannot allow him to take part in this school. And–"

"I apologize, Mr. Dempsey," Mr. Norman said as he walked in the room with Rebecca, "but we have a situation here."

Mr. Dempsey sighed and looked over at the teacher. "What situation?"

Instead of addressing the vice-principal, Mr. Norman looked down at Colin. "Did you solve my equation?"

Colin nodded his head. "Yes."

Mr. Norman knelt down so that he was eye-level with the raccoon. "Okay, how did you do it? What method did you use?"

"What's going on here?" Mr. Dempsey demanded.

Mr. Norman stood back up and pointed to Colin. "This guy has just solved a college-level scientific equation."

"That's impossible," Mr. Dempsey stated. "This kid completely failed to complete the exams I gave him. He doesn't even know who John Quincy Adams is."

Serena looked down at Colin, who was sitting at the table. "Colin, why didn't you?"

"I didn't know any of the answers," Colin replied, looking up at her.

Mr. Dempsey sighed. "You see?"

Colin looked over at the vice-principal. "But now I do."

Saul smirked at Mr. Dempsey. "Give him the test."

"Absolutely not," Mr. Dempsey replied. "It's past school hours and it's a five-hour-long test."

"If anybody can get it done in less than five hours, it's this guy," JC said, pointing at Colin with a wide smile.

"Give him the test," Saul repeated.

Mr. Dempsey sighed.

Colin turned another page on the test.

_Once I knew the answers, passing the exams was extraordinarily easy. The answers came to my mind in a snap, almost instantaneously. _

No sooner had the group sat down outside the main office was it that Colin stepped out of the room and handed Mr. Dempsey the test. "Done," he said.

"Which one?" Mr. Dempsey asked.

Colin smiled. "All of them."

Mr. Dempsey shook his head. "That's not possible. That was a five-hour-long test."

"So when does he start?" Saul asked.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," Mr. Dempsey warned. "Let me grade them first. Depending on how he did, he should be able to start next week."

"Excellent," Serena said.

Saul smiled. "Good job, Colin."

"When he's enrolled," Mr. Dempsey said, "we'll hire a tutor and–"

"No," Colin said, shaking his head.

Mr. Dempsey looked down at Colin. "No?"

"I thought you wanted to go to school, Colin," Serena said.

"I do," Colin assured, "but not that way. I want to go to school like the rest of you." He nodded towards JC and the others.

Serena and Saul nodded their heads, agreeing with him.

"If all goes well," Mr. Dempsey stated, "we should be seeing Colin in class next Monday." He walked into the main office.

"I've got a club meeting to get to," JC said, walking off. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Colin spotted Erik walking down the sidewalk once he'd exited the high school. He promised Saul and Serena that he'd catch up with them before he ran to catch up with Erik. The skunk turned upon feeling him touch his shoulder and he smiled down at the portly skunk. "Thanks for all your help today."

Erik smiled back at the friendly face of the raccoon. "No problem."

_I didn't know why, but for some reason I felt a strong connection with this person. It was really strange. _

"Maybe you can come over sometime," Erik insisted. He placed his shoulder strap back on his shoulder as it began to slip off. He was taken aback to find Colin standing close to him. Two brown furry arms slid around his chest and tightened, drawing him in. He regarded the coon's face, felt the softness of him pressed to his body, the pleasant warmth of his arms, and returned the gesture.

"You feel tense," Colin whispered. "Worried?"

Erik nodded slightly. "This has never happened to me. I've never felt this sudden attachment to someone before. It's sort of weird."

"I know what you mean," the raccoon murmured.

Muzzle to muzzle, the two males held each other tight as their lips parted slowly . . .

"Colin, are you coming or what?" a voice barked.

Colin cringed at the sudden interruption and turned to see Joanna with an impatient look on her face, her arms crossed. She tapped her foot, waiting for an asnwer. He noded his head at her and turned back to the fat skunk beside him. "See you around?"

Erik smiled back. "You bet." As the two started to go about their seaprate ways, he allowed his tail to strike Colin's backsdie. He smiled when the raccoon looked back at him with a smile of his own before he continued on his way.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Throughout the following weeks, Erik and Colin began spending more and more time together. They obviously shared many interests and thought patterns; both finished the other's sentences on occasion and laughed about it afterward. Erik felt himself growing to like the little raccoon, something that he rarely did. Most often, his somewhat standoffish personality, combined with a healthy dose of cynicism, put people off. With Colin, though, he seemed more relaxed.

Things between JC and Alvin continued to sour until finally, Serena insisted that JC invite Alvin over for dinner one evening. Her son agreed to the arrangement, albeit reluctantly, and the two of them soon found themselves staring at each other across the table while the others went about setting the table. Saul and Serena fixed plates and drinks, both advising the two rivals that they sit and talk and get to know each other while dinner was prepared.

The two hadn't said so much as two words to each other since Alvin had arrived at the Cuthbert home, aside from the casual greeting that they'd given one another. Honestly, JC didn't understand why Alvin had it out for him, especially considering the fact that JC hadn't done anything to him. Hell, the rabbit and his siblings had only been going to Thomas Edison High School for a week and already JC had an enemy. The others supposed that they shouldn't have been surprised by this turn of events. After all, JC did have quite an ego, boasting that he was the best and couldn't be defeated. In a way, he and Alvin were alike in more ways than they realized.

At the Matthews household, things were going a lot more smoothly. Erik had invited Colin over for dinner, wanting to get to know the raccoon better. Renee and Marshmallow recognized the raccoon from his visit to the doctor the other day and greeted him warmly when he walked in the house. While Renee went to prepare dinner, Erik and Colin busied themselves with watching television. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing of interest on, so Colin opted to go into the kitchen to see if Renee needed help with anything. She declined, but thanked him for the offer anyway. He walked down the hallway, noticing that there were several photographs of Erik and Marshmallow lining the walls.

_The photographs reminded me once again that I had no memory of ever being small. What was wrong with me?_

The raccoon jumped as he felt someone bump into him. He turned his head to see Erik heading down the hallway towards a room on his right. The fat skunk went back down the hall shortly thereafter with a diaper and scooped up Marshmallow. He carried her to the dining room. Erik put a new diaper on Marshmallow and Colin watched. Marshmallow was the perfect picture of contentment as she laid quietly on the table and let Erik diaper her. She was so obviously enjoying it that Colin couldn't help but smile too. Erik also looked like he was enjoying being a mommy.

Colin tactfully asked if Marshmallow was incontinent and really needed her diapers.

"No, not really," Erik replied. "It's just that she likes the way they feel. Besides, I wear them myself since I have a hard time controlling my bed wetting. I guess she got jealous. Not long after I started wearing them myself was it that she requested that she start wearing them as well. It grew until we completely transformed her room into a nursery and started treating her like our little baby." He smiled down at the white skunk lying in front of him and pulled down her shirt, partially covering the front of her diaper. He lifted her up and set her on the floor. "There. All done." He patted her head and gently nudged her diapered rear. "Now, go play."

Marshmallow nodded and crawled off, her diaper rustling as she moved.

"So, you're kind of like her parent?" Colin asked.

Erik shrugged. "You could say that, I guess. With how much work Mom does, it's up to me to take care of her."

"She seems to enjoy the attention." He smiled.

Erik nodded in agreement. "She does. I enjoy it myself too."

"Maybe I could help out sometime."

"Maybe," Erik agreed.

JC and Alvin had finally found something in common after glaring daggers at each other throughout the entire meal: music. After finding a copy of a CD from some band called New Covenant, which strangely had the Cuthbert children on the cover, minus Cody, JC explained that it was the family band, a Christian rock band that the family had formed due to their love for music. At the mention of the fact that the family was Christian, the chipmunk with the red cap became uneasy and showed signs of being uncomfortable around the masculine rabbit. Honestly, JC didn't understand how Alvin had missed this fact, as there were bookcases with lots of Bibles and Christian literature, as well as portraits and paintings depicting Christianity all around the house, alongside pictures of the Cuthberts. Before passing judgment on the family for their religious beliefs, JC suggested that Alvin actually listen to the CD in its entirety. Being that the family referenced their religion in their songs through subtlety, JC doubted that Alvin would catch onto the fact that the family was indeed Christian through their music.

As if to drive the point home that the family was Christian, Saul and Serena gathered their children together for their Bible study evening, at which point Alvin suggested that he leave, not wanting any part of the religious events. As far as he was concerned, if the new neighbors were Christian, then that gave him reason enough to avoid them. Based on the tales he'd heard from Simon regarding his experiences with Christians, if the Cuthberts were any Christians that Alvin had heard of, then they were more than likely homophobic, religious wackos who would like nothing more than to push their beliefs on him. Hence, why he was leaving. However, one thing that he took notice of was the fact that the instant the Bible study event was brought up, JC ceased to have any part in it and decided to go outside instead.

Alvin was caught between two options: either he could leave and spend more time with JC, which was the whole purpose of him having dinner with him to begin with, or he could stay and participate in the Bible study to see if the Cuthberts were anything like the Christians that he'd heard of from Simon. The latter didn't sound too painful for him to take part in. Who knew? It may very well do him some good. So, without further debating with himself, he joined the Cuthberts in the living room, each of them sitting in front of their father who sat above them on the recliner, his wife sitting on the armrest to his right. It was very much like the cartoons Alvin had seen growing up where the children would gather around their grandfather who sat in a chair while he strung a tale for them. Their Bibles were in their laps. Alvin managed to squeeze himself in between Joanna and Mimi, the former offering to share her Bible with him since he didn't have one himself. This was solved when Marty gave Alvin a Bible from one of the bookshelves within the room. Alvin thanked him and, after being notified of the book, chapter, and verse that the family would be reading from, went there and began reading along with the others.

Erik and Colin had managed to find something in common as well: books. Upon walking in Erik's bedroom, Colin noticed that the skunk had a bookshelf that had all three shelves packed with books. It wasn't just the usual literature like _Harry Potter_ or _The Chronicles of Narnia_. The skunk also had books on a variety of subjects: science, religion, spirituality, psychology, disorders of various kinds, sociology, archeology, and more. Based on the various books that Erik had, Colin guessed that he was well-read and quite intelligent for a child his age, and it was quite peculiar. Based on the way the media portrayed fat people, Colin would have guessed that Erik was only interested in eating, sleeping, and video games, having no interest in academics whatsoever, yet the skunk seemed to do more reading than anything else, including eating and sleeping.

The television was turned on, but merely kept on as background noise while the two of them settled into Erik's bed, each with a book of their own. Every now and then a conversation would be struck up between the two, but there was silence within the room for the most part, aside from the occasional flipping of a page from the two of them.

Marshmallow wandered in the room a few minutes after the two of them had gotten finished with their books and asked Colin if he would like to see her bedroom. He agreed and he was led by her paw to her bedroom, which was, coincidentally, directly beside Erik's and across from Renee's. He guessed that was in case she needed anything in the middle of the night, such as a bottle feeding or a diaper change.

_The room filled me with a sense of childlike giddiness, an innocence that I hadn't seen or felt since I'd woken up in the woods. This room was in complete contrast to various others I had seen, including Mimi's._

Looking at the wallpaper and coloring of the room, one wouldn't guess that it belonged to a girl. For one thing, the walls were a bright baby blue, the same color as Colin's eyes. The carpeting was the color of a dark blue that didn't exactly complement the coloring of the wall paper. The room itself looked very much like a baby's nursery: there was a crib, a changing table, a variety of stuffed animals and toys, and a playpen. Then again, Colin supposed that he should have expected this from a ten year old who wore diapers and acted like a baby pretty much twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Marshmallow gazed up at him while she sucked her thumb, her other paw behind her back. A smile was formed around her thumb while she continued to glance up at him. "So," she said without removing her thumb from her mouth, "do you like it?"

_I didn't know why, but the room made me feel like a little child, and I didn't want to leave._

He looked down at the "baby" skunk in front of him and smiled back at her. "I like it." He nodded his head. He looked over in one corner and noticed a very, very large red beanbag chair. He noticed that the room wasn't without its modern conveniences; there was a television, a VCR, and a video game console all resting on top of a dresser and there was a bookcase pushed up against the wall just like in Erik's room. Though, unlike the sophisticated selection of books that were found in Erik's bookcase, the books that stocked Marshmallow's bookcase were merely baby books and books intended for very small children. Again, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by this, considering the fact that Marshmallow seemed to be infatuated with the baby lifestyle. He supposed the beanbag chair was where she read her books when she wasn't busy playing with her toys or napping. When he realized what a hindrance it would be to have to get up to use the bathroom, he realized that the diapers prevented any disturbances from her reading since she could simply relieve herself in her diapers and request to be changed later on by either Erik or Renee.

_Once again, I was reminded that I had no memory of ever being little. I wasn't sure if it was due to the lack of memory or the room itself, but I suddenly had the uncontrollable urge to slip on a few diapers and pretend to be Renee's baby for the night. I didn't think she would mind. While I'm sure Erik and Marshmallow wouldn't have minded either, I'm sure it would have made me rather uncomfortable, particularly if anyone spotted me._

He jumped when he felt Renee gently squeeze past him towards Marshmallow, whom she picked up and laid down on the changing table. Once again, he watched as Marshmallow's dirty diaper was removed and she was given a clean, fresh one to wear to bed.

_She looked so . . . so happy, so carefree. I longed to feel that way and once again was faced with the option of pretending to be a baby for the evening. I rejected the idea._

"Okay," Renee said, picking up Marshmallow once again and cradling her daughter in her arms. "Time for bed." She set Marshmallow in her crib and tucked her in. She gave her a baby bottle of milk and raising the railing of the crib. "Sleep tight, love." She leaned down and pecked Marshmallow on the forehead before once again walking past Colin as she went out the door.

For the longest time, Colin simply watched Marshmallow as she drank from her bottle and stared up at him. He rested his chin on his folded arms and watched her, staring down lovingly at her while her eyes began to droop. The warm, sweet milk was beginning to take effect on her. She eventually dropped her bottle once she'd finished and, after letting out an impressive belch for a child her age, especially considering the fact that she was a girl, rolled over onto her side and went to sleep.

Colin finally returned to Erik's bedroom to find that Erik had already fallen asleep, a book resting open on his chest. The raccoon gently petted Erik's head before climbing into bed and resting his arm along Erik's sleeping form, pulling the skunk close to him, giving his nose a good whiff of the skunk's scent. Oddly enough, for a skunk, he thought Erik smelled magnificent.

Alvin finally arrived home after spending a couple of hours with the Cuthberts. He found Dave, Simon, and Theodore in the living room watching television. He walked in and approached Dave. "Hey, Dave, how come you never told us about Jesus Christ?"

Dave looked down at him, giving his son a baffled look. "Who?"

"You know, the Son of God, the founder of Christianity?"

Dave said nothing.

"Mr. Cuthbert said that Christianity is the only real truth and that every other religion is wrong."

"Oh, did he now?" Simon asked, standing up. He went over to the coat rack and put on his jacket.

"Simon, where are you going?" Theodore asked.

"You've got to put these religious fanatics in their place, Theodore," Simon told him, "otherwise they just don't stop. I'm going to go kick this Mr. Cuthbert's ass." He opened the door and walked out onto the porch, only to walk back in the house seconds later. "Just so we're clear. Mr. Cuthbert isn't black or Asian or any non-white person, right?"

"No, Simon, he's a rabbit," Alvin replied.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go kick his ass," Simon said, pumping his fist in the air and walking out of the house once again.

"Goddamn religious fanatics," Simon growled as he strolled down the sidewalk, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. "Let's see how you like my foot in your ass!" He knocked on the door to the Cuthbert's house and waited. He took a couple of steps back. The door was opened by a young-looking male rabbit. He tried to be as pleasant as possible. "Hi."

"Hi," the rabbit replied. "Can I help you?"

"Listen, my brother was just over at your house and, uh–"

"Oh, you're Alvin's brother," the rabbit cried happily. He turned his head and cupped a paw over his mouth. "Hey, Serena! Come 'ere!" He was soon joined by his wife, who was carrying a tray of Rice Krispie treats. "This is Alvin's brother."

"Oh, hello," Serena replied. "It's so nice to meet you."

"Why don't you come inside?" Saul suggested. "Serena's Rice Krispie treats are to die for. You've got to try one. Or six." He chuckled, leading Simon into the house and closing the door.

The children were already in bed, leaving Saul, Serena, and Simon able to talk privately. The two rabbits sat on one couch and Simon sat on the one opposite of them.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Serena said, pouring glasses of lemonade. "We just moved here from Tennessee."

"Listen, I want to talk to you about some of the things you told my brother," Simon said.

"Uh-huh," Saul said, nodding his head.

"You know, about God and stuff," Simon elaborated.

The two rabbits suddenly caught on and both exchanged worried glances.

"Oh, you thought we were trying to convert him," Saul said.

"No, I just–" Simon replied before being interrupted.

"You just heard your brother expressing religious views that weren't your own and you said, 'Who the hell do these people think they are?!' You must be furious. Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Seville. It won't happen again."

"You can call me Simon."

"Simon, the last thing we want is for people to think we're forcing our religion onto others," Serena said. "We're from Tennessee and we're so used to people being Christian where we come from that we often forget that not everybody wants to hear about it. We know there are a lot of beliefs out there and ours just works for us."

"To each his own, right?" Saul added.

Simon nodded his head and, for the first time since meeting them, smiled. "Yeah. Yeah!" He crossed one leg over the other and took a bite of the sweet treat he held in his hand. "You know I've never actually met any Christians. I don't even know what you people believe. Who was this Jesus Christ guy?"

Colin walked in the kitchen where Marshmallow sat on the counter and Erik stood in front of her. A thermometer was in his paw. "Okay, here we go." He proposed the thermometer to her and she opened her mouth to accept it. He grinned. "Wrong end."

She cringed visibly at this revelation, but nonetheless, turned around, got down on all fours, and lifted her tail, exposing her bare bottom to the two of them. She flinched when Colin inserted the thermometer into her, letting out a low groan due to the pain and discomfort the thermometer was causing. After taking some time to relax, she began to get used to the thermometer being shoved up her rear and actually began to enjoy it. It didn't feel so bad once she got used to it, and it actually felt pretty good, to be perfectly honest.

"Now all we do is wait," Colin said, folding his arms.

"I hope you're not getting sick," Erik added, patting Marshmallow's bottom.

The white skunk nodded her head in agreement. "You and me both." She once again cringed as the thermometer slid deeper inside her.

"Um, Colin," Erik said, "I think you just lost your thermometer." He pointed to Marshmallow's exposed butt.

Colin sighed and began to reach forward.

"You _really _want it back?" Marshmallow asked, giggling and shaking her rump.

"On second thought, no," Colin replied. He turned to Erik. "Go get me the other thermometer from the bathroom, please."

This time, taking Marshmallow's temperature was much easier since they got an oral thermometer. Once the beeping went off, Colin noted that her temperature was a little high, but not high enough to diagnose her as being sick. Regardless, Erik suggested that she try to get some sleep.

"You know," she said as she was put down on the floor, "it's going to be quite painful sitting and lying down with this thermometer up my butt. Would one of you mind–"

"Oh, God, Marshmallow," Erik groaned. "No. No!"

"Just wait for it to pass," Colin suggested. "It'll just be like going number two. You probably won't even feel anything."

"Am I the only one that's worried that it might rupture something?" She wiggled her rump once again.

"It's not in deep enough to rupture anything," Erik reasoned. "Trust me, you're fine. Now," he pushed her forward by way of pressing his foot against her behind, "go get some sleep. I'll bring in a bottle for you in a little while."

She nodded her head and went down the hall and entered her bedroom.

Unfortunately, Marshmallow's condition didn't improve over the next couple of weeks. When her temperature reached over one hundred degrees, Renee immediately took her to the doctor to have her diagnosed. The doctor diagnosed her with the flu and suggested that she get some rest, take plenty of medicine, and drink plenty of fluids. She was relieved when she was told that she could still drink milk, but her doctor heavily advised her to drink plenty of orange juice and drink milk on the side. So, once they left the doctor's office, they went grocery shopping and bought at least one gallon of orange juice, along with one gallon of milk since they were nearly out.

Until Marshmallow got better, Colin insisted that he stay with the Matthews to aid her in her recovery, helping Renee and Erik take care of her. Saul and Serena agreed to this. Unfortunately, with both him and Erik at school, there was only so much that the two of them could do, and Renee had to go to work. Thankfully, their neighbor Mrs. Phelps agreed to watch her while the three of them were out of the house during the day. When they got home and once Mrs. Phelps returned to her house, Erik and Colin would spend their afternoons taking care of Marshmallow, giving her the proper medication she needed and making sure that she drank plenty of orange juice and ate lots of chicken noodle soup, which she had no aversion to whatsoever. This allowed Renee to relax once she got home from work.

When she wasn't in the bed complaining about how badly her body ached and her severe headaches, Marshmallow was oftentimes found in the bathroom, either suffering from nausea or diarrhea. Thankfully, the former was more frequent than the latter. Within her crib, along with her and her stuffed animals, was a box of tissues so that she could blow her nose. The chicken noddle soup seemed to be helping her sore throat, though after doing some research, they found that some warm herbal tea with honey, cold beverages, and even popsicles aided her in her road to recovery. She seemed to like the popsicles best, especially the orange ones. The mango-flavored ones were good too.

To help relieve her of her aches and pains, Colin laid out a thermal blanket in hopes that this would help her with her sore back. To ease off the vomiting, they had her on a strict diet of soup and fluids such as orange juice and milk.

With the two of them being around Marshmallow constantly taking care of her, it was inevitable that at least one of them would catch the flu from her, and that just so happened to be Erik, probably because he spent more time around Marshmallow during her sickness than Colin did. This was in spite of the fact that they were both told by her doctor to stay away from her to avoid the spread of the illness. Even after she recovered, they were told to stay away from her for at least twenty-four hours. Colin spent most of his time in the kitchen getting her milk and orange juice and fixing her bowl after bowl of chicken noddle soup while the former stayed by her bedside from the time he got home to the time he went to bed. He even slept in her crib with her just in case she needed anything in the middle of the night.

Erik's sickness started out relatively the same way as Marshmallow's: a high fever, body ahces and pains, a sore throat, a runny nose, vomiting frequently, and occasionally, he would feel fatigued.

Sadly, Erik's condition didn't improve like Marshmallow's did and his condition seemed to worsen as the days wore on. For one thing, he kept complaining about having difficulty breathing and he often said that he felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest, it was beating so fast. He would oftentimes sleep without covering himself off, stating that he was hot enough already. Oddly enough, though, his body temperature would fluctuate. On some days, he would be burning up. On other days, he would be so cold one would swear that he'd spent the night in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

When he would get up to use the restroom, one could clearly hear him groaning in pain. When he, horrified, announced to his mother that he was urinating blood, she immediately took him to the hospital and it was reported that he was suffering from a urinary tract infection. His doctor advised him to drink plenty of juice and take some antibiotics to help get rid of the infection. Sadly, this did nothing to elevate his mood about having the infection to begin with. Luckily, the infection eventually passed, but he was still as ill as ever, leaving him bedridden for weeks on end, never getting better, no matter what precautions the family took to aid him in his recovery.

One other symptom that Erik seemed to exhibit throughout his illness was the fact that he was very restless. He claimed that he couldn't sleep. When he was awake during the day, he was constantly fidgeting. For example, whenever he and Colin were watching television, the coon would keep getting distracted due to Erik's fiddling with his paws or his tail or twitching and constantly looking around the room. This made watching television nearly impossible and Erik was sent back to bed, which was where he was better suited since he needed the rest so that his body could be properly restored.

Sadly, Erik's condition didn't improve. Within time, he began experiencing the symptoms of septic shock. Whenever he would stand up, he would feel lightheaded and would have to sit down again until his head stopped spinning. His heart rate was still quite high, making it feel as if his heart was beating in his neck, ready to burst forth like pus from a popped zit. He would sometimes walk in a room and suddenly forget about why he'd walked in the room to begin with. He seemed to be more confused, which was odd given the fact that he never suffered from any bouts with confusion before. He was taken to the hospital by Renee when Colin came home one afternoon from school to find the skunk unconscious on his bed, his body temperature particularly low.

Marshmallow didn't talk as the four of them drove to the hospital. She sat with Erik resting in her lap. She continuously petted the white fur on his head, gazing out the window sitting in her car seat while she sucked on her pacifier. She looked quite traumatized by the whole thing. Maybe she thought it was all her fault. It could have been. After all, Erik had gotten sick because of her due to how much time he'd been spending with her. He'd caught the flu from her and because of this, his condition had worsened. They were on their way to the hospital. She'd caused her brother to be hospitalized. How on Earth was he ever going to forgive her?!

Erik was taken into the intensive care unit and operated on immediately. The family waited outside for hours on end. Marshmallow sat in Colin's lap, crying softly into his chest, her body quivering as she wept. Colin had his ringed tail curled around her body protectively, shielding her from the environment around them. He began rocking her back and forth, hopping that doing this would lull her into a deep sleep.

Finally, after hours of waiting with no information being given to them regarding Erik's condition, Dr. Duvall stepped out of Erik's hospital room, looking grim. He approached the family, his clipboard tucked under his arm.

"So, how is he?" Renee asked, standing up. She held onto Marshmallow, who sucked on her pacifier, looking around the waiting room.

"Ms. Matthews, I've diagnosed your son with sepsis," Dr. Duvall stated. "It seems he went into septic shock."

Renee blinked. "Well, is there any cure?"

Dr. Duvall shook his head. "No, there is no cure for sepsis. I'm sorry. We'll do all we can to further his recovery." Without another word, he turned and walked down the hall, the clipboard tucked under his arm.

Alvin answered the door to see a deliveryman standing in front of him with a clipboard.

"Oh, damn," the deliveryman groaned. "I must have the wrong address again."

"That depends," Alvin replied. "What are you delivering?"

"I'm supposed to be delivering some aborted fetuses to a university for research study. Is this," he checked his clipboard, "651 Perverie Drive?"

Alvin nodded his head. "Yes. Yes, it is."

"Sign here, please." Once Alvin had given his signature, the deliveryman checked it and nodded his head. "Okay, where do you want these?"

"Just put them in the basement, if you wouldn't mind."

Simon closed the basement door and descended the stairs, flicking on the light switch as he reached solid ground. He blinked upon noticing a large quantity of boxes resting along the wall to his left. Almost immediately, he suspected Alvin had something to do with it. He found his brother in the living room watching television. "Alvin, what are those boxes doing in our basement."

"Oh, those are aborted fetuses," Alvin replied. He took a sip of his drink.

Simon stared at him, mouth agape. He glared. "Why the hell do you have aborted fetuses in our basement, retard?!"

"Don't you watch the news?"

Simon rolled his eyes. "You know very well I watch the news, dumbass."

"Then you'll know that aborted fetuses have stem cells, which could make many advancements in medical science one day." He took another sip of his drink.

"Why would you care about anything related to science?" He stopped for a moment, tapping his chin in thought. "Wait a minute. You're not planning on selling those fetuses, are you?"

Alvin shrugged. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. What's it to you?"

"I'm not going to let you do that, Alvin!"

"Who's going to stop me?"

"I'll kick your ass."

"Sure you will, Simon." He flinched as Simon socked him in the jaw. "Ow!" He rubbed his sore cheek. "Damn it, Simon, that hurt."

"Good!" He kicked Alvin's shin before walking off.

Simon and Theodore walked into Mr. Norman's classroom and sat down at their desks, placing the materials that were needed out in front of them.

Looking around the room, Simon sighed, not spotting his older brother. "Looks like Alvin's ditching school again."

"Okay, before we get started," Mr. Norman said, "Simon and Theodore Seville, you two are wanted in Principal Hood's office."

"What did we do?" Simon asked.

"Just go," Mr. Norman instructed.

When Simon and Theodore walked into the principal's office, they were taken aback by the fact that not only was the vice-principal there, but Dave was there as well.

"Look, we don't know where Alvin is or why he's ditching school," Simon said.

Instead of replying to his comment, Principal Hood simply said, "Sit down, boys."

Simon and Theodore sat down in the seats in front of the principal's desk.

"Boys," the vice-principal, Mr. Dempsey, said, "your friend Erik Matthews was taken to the hospital last night. He's pretty sick."

Simon and Theodore glanced at one another before Simon asked, "How sick?"

"He's been diagnosed with sepsis," Principal Hood stated, "an incurable disease."

"Wait," Theodore spoke up. "You mean that Erik is . . . is going to die?"

"He very well might, Theodore," Dave replied.

"But he's our f-f-f-friend," Simon said, tearing up.

"We know," Mr. Dempsey said, "and that's why he's going to need you two to be strong for him."

"But Erik can't die," Simon said. "Erik can't die!" He buried his face in Dave's chest and wept.

Simon and Theodore were excused from school to go see Erik at the hospital. The Cuthberts, Colin, Renee, Marshmallow, and the Millers were there already. Being family, Renee and Marshmallow got to see Erik first.

"This shit is exactly why I'm no longer a Christian," JC said grumpily as he glared at the cold tile floor.

Simon turned to him. "You're an atheist?"

JC nodded his head. "Damn right." He nodded towards his father. "After my dad was almost eaten by a dog, I completely rejected religion altogether. I figure that if a god would allow someone like my father to be killed for no reason whatsoever," he shook his head, "then that's a god that's not worth serving."

Simon laughed. "Dude, that's nature. Dogs are your natural predator." He quickly shut up when JC glared at him.

"The rest of you can go ahead in," a nurse told the group.

Alvin, Colin, JC, and Simon each stood up and walked to Erik's hospital room. The first thing that Colin was aware of when they entered the room was that Erik was beeping.

It seemed to be such an absurd observation, but the beeping was far more ominous than he could have believed. A monitor attached to Erik's face was beeping. Another one attached to his chest was beeping. A third, that was apparently monitoring a morphine drip, was beeping.

The incessant beeping was so strong that it took Alvin's gasp of fear for Colin to really realize how badly Erik really looked. A respirator mask rest over his face, penetrating his lungs, and the strange rhythm with which it counted Erik's breaths for him made the fur on the back of Colin's neck crawl. Multiple IVs lay penetrating his veins, one filled with a dark red liquid that could only be blood.

_The sight of one of my friends–my best friend–in such a critical, feeble condition made me gag. I felt myself retch, but I was able to keep my vomit down. I felt sick to my stomach and the sick feeling wasn't leaving me anytime soon. _

Thankfully, Erik was conscious.

"Hey, Erik," Simon spoke first. He held a present in his hands. "We got you a present."

"It's a Game Boy," Alvin blurted out.

"Don't tell him what it is," Simon barked.

Alvin looked down. "Sorry."

"So, listen," Simon added, "once you get better, we were thinking of going out to the lake and going camping." He turned to the raccoon on his right. "Right, Colin?"

"I . . . I . . ." Colin tried, but couldn't get the words out. Without warning, he turned and bolted out the door with Simon following him.

Simon followed Colin out the hospital entrance. "Colin, where are you going?"

"I can't," was all Colin would say in response. "I just can't."

Simon grabbed Colin's arm and turned him so that they were facing each other. "He needs us right now."

"I can't stand to see him like that, Simon. All those wires hooked up to him and everything. He's a kid, man. He's supposed to be running around and laughing and having a good time."

Simon gave the raccoon a sympathetic look. "I know it's hard, but–look at me!" He grabbed Colin's chin and turned it so that they were looking at each other after Colin looked down. "I know it's hard, but however hard it is for us, I assure it's a hell of a lot harder for him!"

"Just leave me alone!" Colin pushed Simon away and began running away.

"Colin, don't leave!"

Colin turned around, tears in his eyes. "I'm not the one leaving; he is!" Once again, he turned around and ran off without another word to Simon.

"Goddamn it!"

Alvin and JC stared down at Erik while he lied in bed, covered up by his favorite blue blanket, his stuffed teddy bear Mr. Snuggles tucked under his arm, held close to his chest.

"Look, Erik," Alvin said, "I know that Simon and JC are kind of best friends, but . . . well, I always thought of you and me as best friends." He gently brushed the back of his hand against Erik's cheek, gracefully brushing the soft, black fur there. "D-Don't worry, Erik. I'm gonna find a cure for you and get you out of here, I promise."

JC nodded his head, his ears drooping. "Come on, Alvin." He gently tugged on the boy's sweater. "We should let him rest." He led Alvin out of the room.

"I'm going to go get some water," Alvin said. He walked down the hall, leaving JC alone.

The rabbit let out a sigh of relief. Placing a shaking paw on the wall, he looked down at the floor. His tears dripped from his nose and his body shook.

"JC?" a voice asked.

He jumped and quickly wiped away his tears before turning around to see Simon standing behind him. "Oh, hey, Simon. What's going on . . ., geek?"

"Were you crying just now?" Simon asked.

JC shook his head. "No! No, just a little dust in my eye."

Simon took a step forward. "JC, I care about him too, you know."

JC nodded his head. He swallowed as a lump formed in his throat.

"Have you seen Alvin anywhere?" Simon inquired.

"He's over by the water fountain." The rabbit pointed down the hall.

Simon nodded his head and went down the hall to where Alvin was. The two stared at each other for a moment or two before Alvin ran towards Simon and buried his face in his younger brother's chest, crying hysterically while his body shook. Simon gently rubbed his back, holding his older brother close. "Shh. It's okay, Alvin. It's okay."

"I'm gonna find a cure, Simon," Alvin promised. "I swear to God. I swear to God, I'm gonna find a cure."

"Sure you will, Alvin. Sure you will."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I apologize that there was no update last week. I'm taking guitar lessons on Sundays, so that's taking up a good chunk of my time with my writing. So, to make up for it, here's a nice, long chapter! Enjoy! **

Chapter 4

"This is where our stem cell research was conducted," the doctor told Alvin as he led him throughout the research facility. "But with the recent ban on stem cells, we've had to pack up our things and move on."

"Doctor, could you explain to me how stem cells actually work?" Alvin asked.

The doctor nodded. "Certainly. You see have millions of cells inside of you: skin cells, blood cells, and so and so forth. But before a cell can become designated as a blood cell or a skin cell, it's what we called a stem cell. Many scientists believe that stem cells can be used to reproduce lost tissue if placed next to some already established tissue. Everything clear so far?"

Alvin nodded. "Perfectly. Go on."

"For example," he walked over to a nearby cage where a rat lay, "just a few months ago we removed part of this rat's spine and injected it with some stem cells. As you can see, the stem cells are now recreating the missing part of the spine due to the remaining cells along her spine."

"So if I were to place stem cells next to a Pizza Hut," Alvin theorized, "the stem cells would become encoded with the material of the Pizza Hut next to it, so you would have your own Pizza Hut!"

"Well, no, stem cells don't work that way. In order to have your own Pizza Hut, it would probably be better to use lumber."

"Well, looks like somebody is going to have to change the government's mind." Alvin turned and started walking off.

"Where are you going?" the doctor asked.

Alvin turned back to him. "There's a little guy who's fighting for his life right now in the hospital, doctor. I'm going to go get him some bigger boxing gloves. Somebody's got to change the government's mind on stem cell research. I guess that somebody has to be me." He turned and started walking off yet again.

"Hey, kid."

Alvin turned back to the doctor.

"Give 'em hell," the doctor said. "Give 'em hell."

Alvin nodded and walked off before turning back to the doctor. "Oh, and, doctor?"

The doctor turned back to Alvin.

"Thanks," Alvin said. "Thanks." He started walking off.

"Oh, and, kid?"

Alvin turned.

"Good luck," the doctor said. "Good luck."

Alvin nodded his head and retreated from the room, walking back in a few minutes later. "Oh, and, doctor? Ah, fuck it." He walked off.

"Your turn, Marshmallow," Simon said, looking down at the skunk. He watched as she selected a card from the pile and added it to her deck. He jumped when he heard the door open and close. He turned his head to see that Joanna and Rebecca had entered the house.

"Okay, I think I've got it," Rebecca said, sitting down with Joanna by Simon.

"Hit me," Simon replied, taking a card from the pile in front of him and adding it to his deck.

"Why not hold a benefit concert?" Joanna asked. "We could have various artists come out and perform and we could use the money we raise to help find a cure for Erik."

Colin shook his head. "I have a better idea. Why not use stem cells?"

Simon shook his head. "Can't. The ban on stem cell research is still in effect." He turned to Colin, who was lying on his stomach in front of him. "Got any threes?"

The raccoon shook his head, forcing Simon to pick another card from the pile.

Alvin, who was sitting to Simon's left, looked up as the conversation switched to stem cell research. "What about the ban on stem cell research?"

"It's still in effect," Simon repeated. He nodded to his older brother. "Your turn, Alvin."

Alvin sighed and looked down at his cards, then inquired Marshmallow as to if she had any fives. She shook her head and he picked a card from the pile. "I was hoping I could get the ban on stem cell research lifted."

"Fat chance, Alvin," Simon replied, snorting.

"Besides, it's not ethical," Rebecca said.

"What's not?" Alvin asked.

"Using stem cells," the red-haired rabbit elaborated.

"Why is that?" Simon asked.

Rebecca looked over at him. "Do you know where stem cells come from?"

"Yes. Aborted fetuses. So what? Alvin has a vast collection of them down in our basement."

"Did you happen to know that at twelve weeks of conception, the fetus is considered a human being?"

Simon sighed and turned towards her. "What are you getting at, Rebecca?"

"I watched a program back in grade school regarding abortion. They completely destroy the fetus's body, leaving only the head. Then they practically vacuum out the head from the womb."

"Oh, God," Marshmallow groaned, shivering in disgust.

"It's quite gruesome," Rebecca noted.

Joanna shook her head. "Don't listen to my sister. If stem cells can help, then I think we should give it a go."

"Forget it," Simon advised. "You'd never be able to get the ban lifted."

"How much you want to bet that I can?" Alvin asked.

Simon looked up at him. "Nothing, because you'll never be able to do it."

"I think you're just scared, Simon."

"I'm not scared, Alvin."

"Then bet me."

Simon sighed. "Okay. What do you want to bet?"

"If I can get the ban on stem cell research lifted, you have to go on a date with Colin."

Simon raised his eyebrows at this, but otherwise didn't object. "And if I win the bet?"

"I have to go on a date with Colin." Alvin gestured over to the raccoon, who smiled at the proposition.

Simon smiled at the idea himself and extended a hand. "Okay. Deal."

Alvin smiled back and gingerly grasped Simon's hand, shaking it firmly. "Deal."

"And look," Theodore said, showing Erik a card, "this is from Eleanor. She says that she hopes to see you back in school soon. What? No, there's nothing here from Colin. But don't worry, Erik. I'm sure Colin's going to be here real soon." He gingerly petted the skunk's head, making him smile. Hearing the door open and close, he turned his head to see Eleanor walk in the room. He hopped down from his chair and greeted her with a warm hug.

"How is he?" Eleanor asked.

"He seems to be holding up okay," Theodore replied.

Eleanor stopped and stared when she first saw Erik, but only for a moment. "Hello, Erik," she said as if she were greeting him in the hallway at school rather than in a hospital room. "This is the first time they've let me see you, so I'm sorry if you've been worried. I'm doing well, though I miss you a lot. But don't worry, they're letting guests in now, so I'll be able to see you much more often."

Theodore watched in awe as she went over to a chair and sat down, dropping her backpack to the ground and rummaging around in it. "I know you were in the middle of the latest _Harry Potter_ book, Erik, so I thought I'd come by and we'd read it together. I haven't read it yet, so I hope you don't mind that we're starting over. I know you liked it, so I don't think you will." She put the book on the table next to her and turned to her boyfriend, smiling, but her eyes were sad. She touched his paw gently. "I miss you so much, Erik." She grabbed the book awkwardly with one hand, using the other to hold Erik's. "So expect a lot of _Harry_ _Potter_ nights for the next few weeks. I'll try to think of something interesting to read after that. I'll ask Renee for suggestions; I'm sure she can think of something to entertain us." She glanced up at Renee, and it was only then that she had seen the tears in her eyes. "It is all right, isn't it? That I come and read with him?"

"Of course, Eleanor," Renee assured her.

From that moment on, there hadn't been a day that Eleanor hadn't come and sat with Erik for hours, reading first _The Order of the Phoenix_ and then, at Renee's suggestion, had started _The_ _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy. She had become a fixture at the hospital, and by now Renee had come to expect her presence when she would go there after school. Somehow she always managed to get there first.

_Leaves swept underneath Erik's feet as he ran on all fours through the woods. The wind stung his eyes, making it hard to see, but the wind felt refreshing as it blew against his face, cooling him off from the heat that surrounded him. _

_Upon reaching a clearing, he skidded to a halt and looked around. He couldn't see much of anything except a white fog that made him feel woozy. "Hmm . . . clouds . . ."_

_Suddenly, Erik felt his fur being tossed gently by a breeze of air. It was smooth and light rather that rough and violent like the wind of a tornado. The air seemed to be stirring the fog away from him. Little by little, the fog dissipated into nothingness until Erik could see where he was. _

_He was in Pacific Spirit Regional Park. "Why am I here?" he wondered aloud. "Uh, is anybody here? Someone? Anyone? Hello? Yoo-hoo! Is somebody there? It's me, Erik!" His voice seemed to echo into the distance but nobody answered in return. Nobody was there. He was about to ask again until the wind picked up once more. It was stronger this time, but it still lightly ran through his fur with a smooth touch. The feel of it reminded him of someone, someone he longed for at that moment._

"_Mmmmhh . . . Colin." Erik moaned "So soft and warm." He was overcome by this feeling of desire inside of him. It was like his whole body became comforted from it. Anytime he thought of Colin, he felt better. _

"_I'm right here, Erik," came a voice from behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt two arms being wrapped around his waist and felt the soft white fur on Colin's chest touch his back. "Colin . . ." was all he could say. _

_Colin rested his head on Erik's shoulder and began to hug him. It seemed to make the calm and blissful atmosphere around them even more tranquil. Softly, he began to sing in Erik's ear. _

"I'll hold you tight until your pain is gone

Here with me is where you belong"

_Colin then stopped abruptly and started lightly flicking Erik's tail. _

"_Hey, why did you stop the song?" Erik asked, gently pulling his tail back from Colin's grip. _

_Colin eyed him playfully "I told you that's the only part I remember." He tried to grab Erik's tail again. _

_Erik began to pull it away in different directions to see how long Colin would keep up the game. "Too slow," Erik said, teasing him "Now I'm too fast! Come on, almost got it!" Colin jumped at him only to miss. "I thought you'd do better! Here, try one last time." Erik offered his tail empty-handed. _

_Colin, however, didn't plan on missing this time "And got ya!" He tackled Erik to the ground. The skunk squirmed some, but Colin held him tight. _

"_Hey, go easy," Erik said in fatigue. "It's just my tail!" _

_Colin looked at him eye to eye "I didn't aim for your tail that time." He put a paw on the side of Erik's face and patted it "I was going for your mouth." And with that, he began to kiss Erik passionately. _

_Erik could feel himself well up inside from the strange feeling in his chest. He didn't understand it completely, but didn't care. All he wanted right now was love, nothing else. "Oh. Why didn't you say so?" He lightly pressed his mouth to Colin's and then pulled away a few seconds later. _

_Colin stayed still. "Here, Erik." He pulled Erik closer "Like this." He had his mouth locked to Erik's again, except this time he was going to make it last. _

_Erik could feel a warmth fill his entire mouth and then vent down his entire body. He pulled Colin closer until they were both on the ground. Erik needed to breathe, but didn't care. Both of them were consumed by each other and neither seemed to show the slightest sign of stopping. This was Erik's dream, his paradise. What he wanted more than anything in the world was happening to him. "Colin, more!" he begged Colin by grabbing the raccoon from behind one of his ears and pulling him onto his chest. Colin did so gratefully and began to gently lick Erik's chest before kissing him again. _

_Colin went downward, kissing the fat skunk's chest and then his belly._

_The mist seemed to slowly fade in and out now. It would surround them and then dissipate again. This seemed to go on forever but eventually, it stopped and the grass and trees remained visible. When it did, Erik simply fell over Colin and took a second to breathe. "Colin . . ." he said softly, stroking the raccoon's face. Erik looked at Colin eye to eye and kissed him. He was suddenly on his back as Colin tackled him, hovering over him, smiling. Once again, he squirmed, but Colin pinned him down, all the while grinning from ear to ear, the raccoon's baby blue eyes seeming to cast a spell on him that allowed him to calm down. _

_Colin chuckled and kissed Erik roughly, loving that he was in control. As Erik gasped and moaned, he pulled up from the kiss. "Something you want?" he asked slyly._

Colin sat upright in bed, shaking. He looked around the room and noticed that Marshmallow was sleeping soundly next to him, Mr. Snuggles wrapped in her arms. He attempted to catch his breath, but quickly noticed that he was having trouble breathing. He started to get out of bed, but noticed that his behind was wet. He lifted the covers and moved his rump to the side to notice that the sheets were wet. How had that happened? He'd been told by Erik that Marshmallow wasn't incontinent, so he had to be the culprit behind the wet sheets. He shook it off and went to the kitchen to get something to drink in hopes that it would help him with his breathing.

Halfway to the kitchen, however, he stopped when he realized that his thoughts were consumed by Erik and as soon as the thoughts dissipated, his breathing returned to him, fully. He shook his head. Perhaps he was just still upset about the fact that Erik was laid up in the hospital. He had been thinking about the skunk an awful lot lately. Again, he dismissed these thoughts as his worry over Erik being in the hospital. He was grateful that his friends were attempting to find a cure for him, though he knew that such attempts were futile.

_I didn't understand it. If I was simply worried about Erik being in the hospital, why was I constantly having these erotic dreams about him? I couldn't possibly be in love with him, could I? _

No, that couldn't be it. Besides, as far as he knew, he had no sexual attraction to other guys anyway. If he did, he'd be running after JC or Alvin trying to get them to go out with him. Then again, Simon had proposed that Alvin go out with him if the latter lost their bet, and Colin hadn't exactly been opposed to the idea. Maybe he was actually looking forward to it.

He fixed himself a glass of water and quickly chugged it, watching the beams of the moonlight hit the table that rested in the center of the dining room. He sighed in relief and set the empty glass down on the counter, wiping his mouth on his furry arm before walking back down the hall. He entered the bedroom that he and Erik shared. Climbing into bed, he rested his head on the pillow and protectively wrapped an arm around Marshmallow.

_Up until now, I hadn't let Marshmallow visit Erik in the hospital. I didn't want to traumatize her. Was that the real reason, or was it because I simply didn't want her to have to go through the emotional turmoil that came with losing a family member? Renee had visited Erik often while he was laid up in the hospital, but that was simply because he was her son and she needed to be there for him, just like any mother would. _

He flinched as he felt the wet spot of the bed sheets on his hips. He shifted so that his body was a good ways away from the urine stain to where he could sleep comfortably. Somehow, he managed to do this without waking up Marshmallow, who slept with her pacifier in her mouth, her arms still lovingly wrapped around Mr. Snuggles.

He thought about talking to Rebecca regarding his sexual dreams about Erik and get her opinion on the matter. It was clear to him from the get-go that she was the smartest one in the Cuthbert family, aside from her mother and father, of course.

At the very least, with Renee always at the hospital, this gave Colin some more time to bond with Marshmallow, if by "bond" one meant constantly feeding her. Erik's demise seemed to have a big impact on her already insatiable appetite to where she was eating all the time now. She spent a good amount of her time in the kitchen. She was no longer a cute, chubby little skunk, but a very fat one who was getting stuck in the doggy door on a daily basis. Because he didn't like having to push her through, Colin had completely sealed off the doggy door by nailing some wooden blocks at both ends. He said he would take the boards off once she lost some weight. Though, he had to admit that he did slightly like her better the way she was now, and she seemed to like herself the way she was now as well. She was now wearing adult diapers due to her no longer being able to wear baby diapers.

The next afternoon found Colin sitting on the couch watching television. Every now and then he would observe the clock, checking to see what time it was. He knew that Rebecca and the others wouldn't be done with their music session for another good fifteen minutes. He was simply passing the time by watching television. Marshmallow was in the kitchen snacking on some peanut butter crackers and soda. He thought about taking her to the doctor to see if she had an eating disorder. Maybe she wasn't going through a growth spurt after all.

After over twenty minutes of waiting, thanks in part to the vast collection of books in Erik's bedroom and partly thanks to the television, he finally stood up as the Cuthberts walked in the house. He had called them, but had left a message once they didn't pick up. He simply told them that they needed to talk. He didn't exactly indicate which member of the family he would like to talk to, so they had, apparently thinking that it was a matter relating to family, all come along. Regardless, it was nice to see all of them again, having been away from them for days on end.

"So, what's this all about, Colin?" Saul asked.

"Well, it's kind of personal," Colin admitted. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the floor before looking back up at his adoptive father.

"Would you care to talk about this alone?" Saul asked.

Colin shook his head. "No. I think I'd like to get more than one opinion." He cleared his throat. "With Erik being in the hospital, I find myself thinking about him all the time."

"Well, of course," Mimi replied. "You were very close to him. It'd seem completely unnatural if you weren't thinking about him all the time."

"No. I mean, I've been having . . . _sexual _thoughts . . . about him." He coughed into his paw.

"Oh," Saul replied, his ears drooping. "Wow."

"Um . . . is this natural?"

"The only way it would be natural if you were . . ." Rebecca paused to think. "If you were in love with him . . ." She suddenly perked up at this realization. "That's it! You're in love with him, aren't you?!"

"What?!" Colin eyes looked as if they were going to burst due to how big they got. "No! No! We're just friends."

Rebecca smirked and crossed her arms. "When you're having sexual dreams about someone, you're not just friends. Listen to someone who knows what they're talking about."

Colin swallowed and waved a paw in his face. "I think . . . I think I need to sit down." He plopped his rump on the couch. He wrung his paws in his lap. The lump in his throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard.

All nine members within the living room jumped as they heard a rather loud clatter come from the kitchen.

JC turned his head towards the threshold to the dining room. "What was that?"

Colin simply shrugged his shoulders. "Probably Marshmallow trying to get something to eat."

"Hmm . . ." JC walked off towards the kitchen. He found nothing of Marshmallow except for her enormous rear and thick tail sticking out of one of the cabinets. After approaching her, he gently tapped her on her behind, causing her to quickly scamper out of the cabinet. She looked up at him, her mouth full of cookies and potato chips. "What are you doing in here?" He waited until she was done scarfing down her food so that she could answer his question.

"Eating," she replied. "What's it look like?"

He playfully poked her protruding belly. "Keep this up and you'll be too fat to walk."

She glared at him and blew a raspberry. She popped another cookie in her mouth.

He chuckled. "Seriously, though, you're starting to look like Cody. If you're as fat as him, then chances are you've already managed to get yourself stuck in the doggy door, eh?"

Her ears drooped at this comment. "Yeah." She looked away. "Once . . . or twice. But no more than twice!" She lifted her stomach and let it fall; the contents within it sloshed as her stomach bounced a couple of times before settling. "Still, the funny thing is that I kind of enjoy myself this way." She smiled as she playfully poked her big, round belly. Her smile widened as her finger sank into the warm fat of her stomach. She giggled. "I can see why my brother somewhat enjoys being this way."

JC nodded in agreement. "My brother too. We've tried getting him to lose weight, but he just doesn't want to. He can be quite stubborn. What exactly are you doing stuffing yourself anyway?"

"Well, at first I thought it was just a growth spurt, but now I think it may be something more."

"Your feelings regarding your brother being in the hospital are probably what's triggering your out of control eating habits. Would it help at all if maybe you went to go see him?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Colin won't let me."

He scowled. "Why not?!"

"He's afraid it'll traumatize me."

He shook his head, his scowl remaining. "I don't see how that's possible, seeing as how he's just sick."

She shrugged her shoulders yet again, popping a potato chip in her mouth.

"You should go see him," JC encouraged her. "It might give you some closure regarding the situation and it might help you stop your out of control eating."

"Maybe."

"Are you okay in here or do you want to keep talking?"

"No, I'm fine."

His ears drooped at this comment, but nevertheless, he nodded his head. He patted her head and then turned and walked off towards the living room.

"Well, at least you guys are making a conscious effort to help him," Saul said, "even if I don't exactly agree with your methods."

"What's that?" JC asked.

"Alvin is trying to get the ban on stem cell research lifted," Colin replied. "It seems he thinks that stem cells might help Erik recover from his illness."

JC nodded his head. "Maybe." He gestured towards the kitchen. "You might want to put a chain and lock on the fridge before your sister devours that too." He grinned when he heard Marshmallow reply that she'd heard what he'd said. He walked over to the couch and sat down beside Colin. "Well, what about the rest of you?"

"Rebecca, Jeanette, Simon, and I are trying to work out some kind of solution," Joanna remarked, gesturing towards her redheaded sister.  
"What's your plan, anyway?" JC asked Joanna.

Joanna shrugged. "I don't know. We'll think of something eventually."

"We could hold a bake sale," Cody suggested enthusiastically. "Raise money for research."

"Ooh, I like that idea," Marshmallow cried from the kitchen.

"Hmm," Joanna mused. "That's not a terrible idea."

"The one thing people love more than sweets is music," Colin told her.

"To quote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 'music is the universal language of mankind,'" Rebecca said, one paw behind her back and the forefinger of the other raised in the air.

JC buried his face in his paws. "God, Rebecca, you are such a nerd."

Rebecca blew a raspberry at him. "Shows what you know."

"Who would we get to perform?" Colin asked.

"Well, there's us, of course," Joanna replied. "We could get Alvin and his brothers and Brittany and her sisters to perform as well. Get the word out about the concert, get other people interested. We can do that through our website."

"With Marshmallow's appetite, a bake sale would probably be a bad idea anyway," Colin said.

"Shut up," Marshmallow yelled from the kitchen.

Colin chuckled. "I do have to admit, though, she is a lot cuter the way she is now."

"So, you're okay, right?" Serena asked.

Colin nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay . . . for now."

"We should get going," Saul suggested. "You need anything, you know where to find us." He motioned his family towards the front door and led them out.

The sun was starting to set by the time Renee got home. After dinner, Renee came into the living room where she spotted Colin watching television. She turned it off and said, "Colin, we have to talk about something."

"Yeah?"

"Well, its about your . . . bed-wetting."

He swallowed. "Renee, I swear it's never happened before! I'm so sorry!"

She shushed him. "Colin, I understand. Don't worry, I believe you." She picked him up and set him in her lap. "You've just been through a very traumatic experience. It's perfectly understandable for you to have some problems adjusting. I'm not mad and I'm not going to punish you." She smiled and nuzzled his nose. "However, we do need to do something. I'm running out of sheets! I think, Colin, that the best solution would be for you to wear something to protect the bed until you get over this. Namely, diapers."

He shot straight up. "Diapers!?"

She hushed him and had him lay back down in her arms. "I know you don't like the idea, but you understand that we have to do something. I think that's the best way to protect the bed. It's okay, Colin. You'll only wear them until you get over this problem. It's not a bad thing, Colin. You're not a baby or anything."

He didn't notice her explanations, though.

_My reaction to her proposition wasn't exactly the way she interpreted it. I was just surprised, not upset. In fact, the idea seemed somewhat appealing. I didn't understand why, so I rationalized that it was the only way to protect the bed and the sheets. _

He noticed that Renee was looking hopefully at him.

_I decided to agree. I tried to make it sound like I didn't want to do it. _

"Okay, Renee. I guess you're right. I'll wear diapers."

Still holding him in her arms, she carried him down the hall towards Marshmallow's nursery. She laid him down on the changing table

_Something seemed very wrong about this, but I couldn't put my finger on it yet.  
_

"Right," Renee said. "Now, just sit back. This will be over in a minute, and there's no need to be embarrassed. Besides, I think it's very mature of you to be so willing to try to find a solution to your problem."

_Once I was in it, I started to absorb the feelings. My rear was padded and there was material bunched up between my legs. I could feel the soft interior of the diaper against my bottom. It was strange, but somehow familiar. The baby powder that wafted up to my nose was a little comforting.  
_

Renee picked him up and set him on his feet on the floor. "Now, go brush your teeth." She turned him and gave him a soft pat on his diapered bottom. She followed him out to the hall and called towards the kitchen, "Marshmallow, you too!"

A muffled, "Okay," came from the kitchen and Renee walked in her bedroom.

Marshmallow finished up her snack and her glass of milk and went towards the bathroom to find that the door was closed. She rapped on the door a couple of times. "Come on, Colin, let's see."

The raccoon on the other side of the door let out a long, annoyed sigh before opening the bathroom door and stepping out to the hall.

Marshmallow clasped her paws together in delight. "Oh, Colin, you look adorable!"

This seemed to ease off the somewhat embarrassment he felt regarding having to wear the diaper in the first place, as he smiled down at her and ruffled the silver-gray fur on her head. "You don't look too bad yourself. Go on, brush your teeth."

She nodded her head in agreement and walked past him to the bathroom. "Since you're wearing a diaper, would you care to sleep with me in my crib tonight?"

He shook his head. "No, I suppose not."

She smiled. "Great."

Alvin finished counting the cases of stem cells that he still had stored in the basement. He nodded his head as he wrote down the number. He abruptly turned around when he heard footsteps descending down the stairs, but immediately relaxed upon realizing that it was only Simon.

The two simply stared at one another as Simon reached the floor. Alvin stood with his clipboard and pen in his hands while Simon stood upright, arms pinned to his sides.

"So, tell me," Simon said," have you managed to get the ban on stem cell research lifted yet?"

Alvin shook his head in response. "No, not yet. I'm planning on going to Washington, DC this weekend to see if I can't get it done."

"Mm-hmm, and how exactly are you planning on going there without Dave having a problem with it?"

"I've already talked it over with him and he's agreed to let me go as long as someone else goes with me."

"Well, don't look at me. How did you manage that?"

Alvin snorted. "I told him it was for a history project, and don't worry. I wasn't planning on taking you."

Simon smiled. "Good."

"I was planning on taking either JC or Rebecca or someone else, like Colin."

"Out of the question. They're supposed to be helping me with the benefit concert to help Erik."

"Relax. We'll be back before Monday. You have plenty of time to host a benefit concert."

Simon took a step forward, his expression hardening. "Alvin, do you have any idea what a critical condition he's in?"

Alvin nodded. "I've seen him."

"Yeah, once or twice. You haven't been down there in a week or so. He's getting worse. The doctors don't think he'll make it."

"And if he dies, then prepare to see them in court."

"Why? They're doctors, human beings. They're not perfect. They can't solve every crisis that comes their way. Why should they get sued for something that's out of their control?"

"It's their job to make sure that Erik gets better, right?" He received no response from his younger brother, so he pressed onward. "You would think by now that they would have found a cure for Erik's condition. How long has medical science been advancing? One hundred years? More? Why is it that doctors use the excuse that it's out of their control to avoid getting sued? Mark my words. As soon as Erik's dead, his family will be suing the doctors who were supposed to help him. The only way he'll survive is if stem cell research is lifted."

"You don't know that, Alvin. Stem cell research is still at a very primitive state. Enough study hasn't been done on them to determine if whether or not they can cure diseases like sepsis."

"Says you."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Alvin. I'll let JC or whoever you want to go with you. I at least hope you'll grant me the privilege of laughing in your face when your plan goes up in smoke."

"Oh, don't be so sure about that, Simon. You don't know whether or not I'll succeed."

"Neither do you, retard! Stop acting like you've already won and start taking this seriously!"

"Why do you think I'm flying all the way to Washington, DC, Simon? For vacation? No."

"Why are you going all the way to Washington DC, anyway? Shouldn't you be addressing this with the governor? After all, whether or not stem cell research is permitted or not is determined by State, not by law."

"Because Congress has all the power."

"But Congress lifting the ban on stem cell research isn't going to do anything. States have their own government that determine what laws are passed in each State and which aren't. You have to start small and then go attack Congress. Stem cell research on aborted fetuses is prohibited in California. Again, you need to go talk to the governor to see if you can't get the ban on stem cell research lifted before going all the way to Washington, DC to attack the big guys. It would be a complete waste of time and money."

Alvin turned towards his younger brother. "Why are you trying to help me succeed by telling me what to do?"

"I'm not! I know for a fact that you won't succeed. I'm just trying to make your humiliation come that much sooner."

Alvin tapped his chin in thought a couple of times before nodding his head in agreement. "Very well, then. You leave me no choice but to go see Mr. Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. So long, Simon." He leaned forward and pecked Simon on the cheek. "Get ready to find out what it's like to date a raccoon." He smiled before happily trotting up the stairs.

Marshmallow jolted awake, sitting bolt upright in her crib. She put a paw to her chest and let out a soft groan of pain. Her chest felt tight. Breathing heavily, she noticed something peculiar: the room was warm, yet she felt cold. How was that possible? That shouldn't have been possible, right? She didn't understand it. How on Earth could the room be warm, yet she herself be freezing? She shook her head and waited for the tightness in her chest to pass, letting out a sigh of relief once it did.

Chocolate and various other sweets suddenly came to her mind. As if this were a cue, her stomach growled. She looked over to her right to see Colin sleeping soundly beside her. She had to smile at the fact that the raccoon was busily sucking his thumb as he slept, his other paw nestled under his head. She carefully crawled past him and lowered the railing of her crib, slipping over it and landing with a soft thud on the floor. Luckily, the padding of her diaper softened the fall. She crept underneath her crib, making sure that no more than half of her body slid through to avoid getting stuck.

She pulled out a very large Hershey's candy bar. She hadn't even unwrapped the thing and already she was drooling. She couldn't wait any longer. She tore off the wrapper with her teeth and began shoveling miniature bars of chocolate into her mouth, stuffing her cheeks, letting out a happy moan as the chocolate did its magic and released her of the anxiety that was flooding her mind. Maybe she wasn't going through a growth spurt after all. Her eating had gotten worse since Erik had been hospitalized. What was wrong with her?! It angered her to no end, not knowing what was going with her body. With her cheeks as full as they could be with chocolate, she looked down at her big belly and once again lifted it and let it fall. The contents within it sloshed as her belly bounced a couple of times before settling. She poked her belly, her finger sinking into it.

Her feelings regarding the recent changes her body was going through made her depressed. To remedy this, she stuffed some more chocolate into her mouth, even though she hadn't swallowed any of the chocolate that was already in her mouth. This of course made her feel as if she was going to choke. She allowed the chocolate to melt in her mouth before swallowing it. Even then, her throat felt tight and clogged, making it quite difficult to swallow. Her chest still hurt and now her throat was hurting too. She needed something to drink. Surely once she got something to drink, her throat would feel better.

She crawled to the kitchen and retrieved a can of soda from the fridge. She downed half of the can with just one swig, letting out a sigh of relief as the carbonation of the soda seemed to do its stuff in soothing her aching throat. She set the can on the counter and suddenly noticed her reflection in the window that was above the sink. She turned to the side and placed her small paws on her protruding belly. Her eyes grew wide at how big and round her stomach had gotten, as well as her butt. Oddly enough, she liked how big and fat she'd gotten. She figured she finally understood why Erik had never wanted to lose weight despite the constant bullying and teasing he received at school. At least if Erik died, God forbid, she could easily take his place. She was already as fat as him, if not fatter.

She chugged the rest of the soda before crushing the can and tossing it in the trash, letting out a belch afterward, happily patting her full stomach and licking her chops. She was still hungry, however. She didn't comprehend it; why was it that she never felt full anymore? She waddled over to the fridge and wrenched open the door. Glancing at the various shelves, she found a pizza box nestled in one of them and removed the box from the fridge, shutting the door with her foot. Opening the box, she was surprised to find a full eight-slice pizza inside. This was unusual given that Colin had been living with them for the past few weeks. She shrugged it off and began musing about whether or not she should heat up the pizza or just eat it cold. As if to answer her question, her stomach growled. It seemed as if her appetite was controlling her very thoughts, as she no longer cared about the fact that it was cold. She grabbed a slice of pizza and began eating.

She returned to her nursery a few minutes later, letting out a soft burp as she crawled into her crib and lied down, her paws patting and rubbing her sore tummy. She let out a happy sigh, rolling over onto her side and curling her tail around her thick waist while she sucked on her thumb, a happy grin on her face. The strange thing was that she wasn't tired; it was as if she had this boundless energy stored up inside her that was begging to be released. She didn't want to wake up Colin or her mother, though. What was she supposed to do? Sit down and draw?

She shrugged her shoulders at this suggestion, figuring that it would at least allow her to expel some energy from her system. She found a sketchpad and a set of pencils in one drawer of her desk and sat down on the floor and began drawing a picture.

Her mind began to wander as she drew. Her body was going through various changes and she didn't like it; perhaps the only change that she did like was the fact that she was putting on so much weight that it was frightening. She'd always seen herself as a tad too thin. Back when she was a baby, at least according to Erik, she had a big appetite, downing several jars of baby food and countless bottles of milk in one sitting. Maybe her out of control eating wasn't just the product of her anxiety and growth spurt. Maybe it'd been a part of her all along. Besides, Erik was a big eater and eating disorders tended to be passed on through genetics. Perhaps their father was a big eater and they'd gotten their eating habits from him. Then again, it wasn't possible for her and Erik to have the same father as she'd been born a whole seven years after Erik was born, and she was completely white, not a trace of black fur on her!

She suddenly stopped drawing as the silence in the room was interrupted by something, a loud noise erupted inside her head. No, wait. That wasn't a loud noise. She listened carefully, trying to decipher what the noise was. "Something . . . in my head," she said aloud. "Something talking." Was this normal, especially for someone her age? Was this her conscious? She wasn't sure. One thing she was sure of, however, was the fact that the voice was very malevolent, maligning her through its words.

"_It's your fault that Erik's in the hospital, you know," _the voice said. _"If you hadn't have gotten him sick, he would still be here with you. He's going to die because of you. You know that, right? And yet here you are, not doing a damn thing to help him! Ungrateful bitch! After all the things he's done for you: changing your diapers, feeding you, protecting your ass. Hmph! _(She imagined the voice spitting in her face at this point.) _You disgust me!"  
_

She closed her eyes, hoping that this would drive away the spiteful voice. However, something completely different happened! When she closed her eyes, she got the eerie sensation that she was floating upwards. Pretty soon she would hit the ceiling. Or would she go through it like a spirit and continue to go up towards the sky? She flailed her arms, attempting to bring herself down. When she opened her eyes, she felt as if she'd just crashed to the floor. The padding of her diaper didn't help matters. She sat up slightly, if only to rub her now sore bottom. The rustling her diaper made as she moved her paw up and down against it put a smile on her face. It was a sound that she would never get tired of hearing, and the sound itself seemed to drive the voice away.

Once silence had filled the room, she was left alone with her thoughts. Was she going insane? Was the voice correct in its allegations? Was she losing her grip on reality? Should she consult a doctor regarding the voice in her head? Should she even believe a word the voice said?

She shook her head. Too many thoughts going on at once. She got the sense that she was losing her grip on reality, given the bizarre dreams she'd been having over the past few nights. One dream consisted of her strapped in her high chair while Colin and her mother stuffed her with food, making her so fat that they had to remove the tray of the high chair in order to allow her stomach to keep expanding. Another dream that made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it involved her and Colin. It started out innocent enough, with Colin changing her diaper. Then, to say the least, it got . . . well, really _weird_. Instead of putting a fresh, clean diaper on her, he would begin to lick her rump, getting it very wet before beginning to thrust into her butt, rocking her back and forth while she rubbed her vulva furiously until both reached their climax. Yet another dream involving Colin, though this one was not in any way erotic like the other one involving him, was him shoving a hose inside her diaper and turning it on full blast, causing her diaper to become extremely full to the point where it was leaking. Another dream, this one involving her by herself, consisted of her drinking from a giant baby bottle of milk, making her extremely fat. The dreams themselves were peculiar all on their own, but what was most peculiar of all was that she would wake up to find that she'd ejaculated all over her bedsheets. It would seem as if she was actually getting sexually turned on by these dreams. Why?

Maybe she was sexually attracted to Colin. After all, he was quite handsome and he did have those gorgeous blue eyes of his. As Mimi had said, "He has cute eyes . . . for a raccoon." The tomboyish rabbit had said the same thing about Erik not too long before he'd become hospitalized. She suspected that maybe Mimi had a crush on Colin and, honestly, she couldn't blame Mimi. Not only did he have a nice, thin body, but he also had that fluffy tail of his. Hers was fluffy as well, but the fur on her tail wasn't as soft as the fur on Colin's. Maybe she was in love with him, or maybe she was simply infatuated with him simply for the way he was so fatherly towards her.

But that didn't explain why she was getting turned on by him fattening her up and filling up her diaper. Maybe she'd developed a fetish for food, where being stuffed like a pig had become something of a fantasy of hers. The latter dream in which her diaper was getting filled up was quite simple. One, she loved diapers. Two, she loved the feel of a full diaper, the thickness between her legs. Still, nothing felt as good as a clean, fresh diaper.

She finally got tired after doing a few drawings and decided to go ahead and go to bed. Once she'd put away her sketchpad and pencils, she climbed into her crib and lied down next to Colin.

"Morning, sunshine," Colin greeted Marshmallow the next morning. "How did you sleep?"  
"Pretty good," Marshmallow replied. "How 'bout you?"  
"Great." He cleared his throat. "I made you breakfast." He walked over to the table with a plate of pancakes and set them on the table.  
"Thanks."  
Colin pulled out the chair and smiled at the skunk still wearing her diapers from the night before. "Well, sit down." He sat down in the seat to Marshmallow's left as she sat down. He scooted the plate over to himself and picked up the top pancake and dangled it in Marshmallow's face. Syrup dripped from its edges and splattered onto the table. "Open wide."  
Marshmallow opened her mouth as wide as she could. Colin shoved the pancake into her mouth, swelling her cheeks to immense size.  
"Eat up, Marshmallow," Colin said as he patted the skunk's head. He turned to leave the room, but before he could go anywhere, Marshmallow grabbed his paw, quickly pulling him back  
"You will come back, won't you?" she asked him in a soft voice.  
With a nod, he replied, "Yeah, I'll be back later to check on your progress."  
"Yeah, all right, but, Colin, I'd like to talk to you later on about something kind of weird." She stood up and placed a shaking paw on top of his.  
Noticing the gesture, the raccoon looked down at his paw for a moment or two before glancing back up at the fat skunk in front of him. "Really? Er, what kind of weird stuff?" He was curious. She wasn't likely the one to talk about anything on her own, especially with him.  
She shrugged. "You know, stuff like, uh, stars and dreams." She tried not to make it sound like it was her erotic dreams that were bugging her, but she suspected that he knew something was amiss.  
He had to pause for a moment before responding to the skunk's question. _Dreams,_ he thought. _Dreams of what?_ He was no stranger to nightmares and had them quite often. "Okay," He kissed her on the cheek, then left the room.  
She devoured her pancakes and washed them down with a gallon of milk. She was still hungry, so she ate several bowls of cereal before he arrived back in the kitchen, for which she was grateful for. She saw this as her perfect chance to actually get to know him a little better away from the company of the others. Besides, she wanted to tell him more about herself as well. Sure, they recognized each other as friends, something which she wanted to change.

"Hey, Colin, I thought maybe we could, uh, talk now," she asked, hoping that the raccoon hadn't forgotten.

He quickly remembered his promise to the skunk. "Oh, yeah, sorry, Marshmallow, I almost forgot." He pulled out a chair from its original position and sat down. He smiled when he noticed that she had completely consumed all of the pancakes that had been on her plate. "So, Marshmallow, how's it been going for you?" he asked. He wondered if they should attempt to find a more private place so they could talk.  
"Hey, how about we go to the park?" she asked. Before he could respond, she zipped through the doorway and past the driveway, stopping in the middle of the front lawn. Since he was not able to dash around at incredible speeds, he had to catch up the hard way.

"Don't just leave me back there, Marshmallow," he said, breathing heavily, thus causing the skunk to laugh at him. "Give me a chance to catch my breath a little."

Once they were settled underneath a tree at Pacific Spirit Regional Park, he started the conversation: "So, what exactly are we talking about here, Marshmallow? Stuff like cookies, candy, or . . . stuff like–"

"You," she said softly, interrupting the raccoon in the process. She leaned to the right until her head was resting on his shoulder. She began fondling the fur on his chest with her finger. Lifting her gaze, she looked up at the raccoon. "Something about you."

He wondered why she wanted to talk about him, but could see in her eyes that it must have been important. "Okay, like what?" he asked, getting himself comfortable next to the skunk.

She sighed. "Nightmares. I had some nightmares about you, weird ones."

He felt himself gulp. _Nightmares about me?_ "Uh, how weird are we talking here?" he asked, slowly hoping that the reply he got wouldn't be similar to the dreams he himself had been having.

She looked up at the blue sky. "It was dark, very dark. Nothing was bright and happy, not even the sun. You were there; a shadow monster thing attacked you." She held her breath as he held her paw in an attempt to comfort her.

"What else happened?" He was already freaked out by what he was hearing so far. For one, the background of their nightmares were very similar, almost the same.

"You hurt me. You bit me and when I looked down your paw was stabbing me." She felt torn inside. Just imagining it brought back her fear and pain.

He was stunned. _I hurt her? Why would she dream of me hurting her?_ "Marshmallow, it's okay. Look, I don't know if this can help but . . ." He pulled her back into a warm hug and gently rubbed her back.

She lessened her grip on him, but still remained close to him. She saw that he was in a daze, looking into space. "Colin, what's bothering you?" Her outburst nearly caused him to jump.

He shook his head from side to side and mumbled, "It's nothing. Really, nothing." He didn't really know why it still bothered him. After all, it was only a nightmare, but it was so real that that the feeling stayed with him.

"Colin, I know when someone's scared about stuff, 'cause I'm scared a lot, too," she said, trying not to make it sound like she wasn't afraid the best she possibly could.

He ignored what she said and continued to think about his nightmare_. _He was suddenly snapped out of his deep thoughts and turned his attention back to Marshmallow. "I guess I could tell you. You see, I had this nightmare." He had been keeping it to himself for quite some time. His nightmare, it haunted him nearly every night. He wanted it to end, but felt it wouldn't unless he told someone. He hated the fact that he had to go to others for help every now and then for his problems because he usually fixed things on his own. "Well, you see, I was in the house and it started shaking. Everything was pretty much like it was in your dream, dead looking. Then I remember being attacked by someone in the first nightmare. But then the second . . . I don't know. It kind of looked like a person, but I couldn't tell. I know it was only a dream; it felt so real, though. When it attacked me, it was laughing. It wanted to kill me." He expected this to make Marshmallow shiver some, to say the least. Instead, the skunk just listened quietly, still relaxed and calm.

"It's only a nightmare, Colin, not real. You shouldn't let it get to you. It's not real, just like dreams," she said, beginning to lightly rub his side.

He didn't know what she was up to, but he assumed she was just comforting him. In reality, she was doing something she couldn't openly do around everybody else. It was part of the dream she had, the dream about him. "Marshmallow, I really don't feel like talking about it anymore. Well, at least not like this. What are you doing?" He gently put his own paw on Marshmallow's.

She continued stroking his side almost in a trance-like state. "I'm just making you feel better, like what you did for me." She ceased what she was doing, leaned against the trunk, and began to watch the sky.

What she did wasn't bothering him. He even enjoyed it, but he didn't understand why she suddenly felt the need to help him. "I enjoy the help, but what gave you the idea I needed it?"

She got up and pointed at his face. "Your eyes gave you away, like they always do." She enjoyed seeing a look of denial on his face now.

He didn't want to deny it. How could he? He couldn't hide it from her and figured it wouldn't be any easier if it were somebody else. He knew he'd have to give up on trying to deny it and just tell her everything. "So, we came over here so I could maybe help you, but now you're helping me?" he said, hoping she would understand.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." She smiled. "It's only fair, Colin. I mean, you helped me a lot, like a whole, whole lot, just like in my dream." She had been wanting to share her dream with him ever since they had begun talking, but she didn't have a good enough opportunity to do so.  
Colin, in the meantime, was still unsure of what was really going on at this point. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he said with a slight sense of humor as he rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"Nope, but I guess I shouldn't be hiding anything either," Marshmallow said

"Well, I don't think you should be, but–" Colin said two seconds before Marshmallow said, "But I am." She knew continuing to hide it would only delay what would eventually happen.

"Colin, I'm having dreams about you, weird but nice dreams." She looked at him intensely and felt a tingling sensation flow through her chest.

He was the exact opposite. He was still confused about most of everything else, but he knew this was something he needed to hear. "So you had a good dream about me, too? Well, what was it like?" he asked, relieved the topic of nightmares was changing to something more positive.

She had a glimpse of her dream flash through her head. She enjoyed the momentary memory, but now she was unsure of how to describe it. "I don't know. We were, you know, just close to each other. We were having fun. It was nice because, well, it just made me think of how you're always there for me." She was starting to surprise him, which wasn't anything different from his point of view. She was Marshmallow. She was full of surprises and right now, Colin was amazed at how serious she was being at the moment. She wasn't being randomly spontaneous, which was rarely seen by whoever else was around her.

"Glad I could help. Is that all that's been bothering you?" He hoped it would be, but then again, so did she, but there were still some things that she felt should be lifted off her shoulders.

"I wish it was, but there are a few things I want to ask you about." She was preparing herself for what she would say next. He was basically doing the same, but nothing could have prepared him for what was coming.

"Colin, have you ever really liked somebody a lot? Like a lot like crazy?"she said.

He should have seen something unexpected coming from this, but was once again confused by the random things she talked about.

"Well, what do you mean by a lot? Like being sexually attracted to someone? Or just liking someone for who they are?" He didn't think much of what she was possibly trying to get at. All he could do was focus on the question. Marshmallow, however, was trying to be serious, and knew how difficult it would be to get her point across.

"A lot. You know, like the kind that people get married and have babies for?" She wasn't trying to freak him out, but it sure came off that way.

He kept calm about the strange situation. "Oh, you mean a lot as in love then, right?"

"Yeah. So, have you?"

He felt compelled to say something. He didn't want to lie about something that wasn't much of a big deal and didn't want to start. "To be honest, Marshmallow, I'm not sure. I mean, I've seen a lot of other raccoons and all and they liked me, but I wouldn't say I loved them. I liked some people, but I never really loved anyone. Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to know." Her intention was hard for him to see by this point, but took her word for it anyways. She got up from her comfortable spot next to him, slowly taking a few steps back away from him. "I never really loved anyone either. I don't usually think about stuff like that, but it's not like I'm going to find someone who loves me like that, right?" She inhaled a big breath of air, realizing that she suddenly was unable to say anything at all.

Being that she suddenly turned away from him, he couldn't see the expression on her face, but didn't need to guess twice about which expression it was once he saw her trembling slowly in her lower body. "Marshmallow . . ." He was out of ideas. By now he needed to say something else, but couldn't find the right words he wanted.

She was still trembling slightly, but wasn't crying this time. "It's not like there's anything I can do, right? I mean, I'm not cool like you or smart like you and Rebecca. I can't take care of everyone like JC. I won't find someone as easily as you and I'm not as brave and strong as you are, Colin." She shook her head quickly, trying to rid possible tears from surfacing in her eyes.

This gave him an idea that would hopefully fix a potential problem before it got started. "Yeah, but nobody is like you. You're Marshmallow. You know, you're different." He tried saying it in the most positive way as possible but her view on it was totally opposite.

"I know," she said. "That's what's so bad."

"You know, I like you because you're different; it would be boring if you were like everyone else."

"Hmm," she pondered. "Okay. If you like me this way, then I do too!" She jumped up and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he replied. "Now, can we forget about all this?"

"Okay, but now we gotta fix your problem!" She pointed at him.

"I don't have a problem, Marshmallow. Let's just go." He started to leave.

She thought for a second and knew for sure what it was about. "Aha!" she exclaimed, thus causing him to stop walking in the process. "This is about my brother, Erik! I get it! He did something bad and you don't want him to do it again, right?"

He looked up and sighed. "Yeah, it is. He left my friends and me for dead. When I needed his help, he died."

She felt her heart sink and gradually fill with regret. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even brought you here. It's all my fault, like usual. I'll leave. I guess I really am stupid." She was full of anguish now.

"Wait, don't just go. It's not your fault, really. I shouldn't have mentioned him, don't blame yourself." He pulled her back to him.

"Okay, I won't."

"Good, let's just forget about all the bad stuff right now. What do you say we go back home and take a nap?"

"Actually, I'm really tired. Can't we just sleep here?" She yawned and started to stretch.

"All right, that's fine by me. But where?" He began looking around for the best place.

Marshmallow, however, already had the best place in mind "How about right here? Close to each other? I mean, we'd be warm and the grass is real soft." She patted the grass.

"Anything is fine as long as it's comfortable, I guess. Just let me get settled." He curled himself into a suitable position as Marshmallow did the same.

Both of them were snuggled closely to one another and ready to crash for the afternoon.

"Guess this is goodnight, huh, sweetheart?" he said, flicking one of her ears.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she said, closing her eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that she would sleep well. After all, she knew that soon she'd be asleep. With Colin there, her fears were gone and now she could feel herself slipping into her blissful dream again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was Sunday. For some, it was a day of rest and relaxation. For others, it was a day for praise and worship that tied into their religion. Any given Sunday would have found Theodore at church with the Millers. On this particular Sunday, however, he was seated at Erik's bedside, watching the skunk as he lay in his hospital bed, unconscious, not moving. The chubby chipmunk sighed as he looked down at the Bible in his hands. He shook his head and placed the sacred book to the side. He looked up, hearing the door open. He smiled upon seeing the Cuthberts walk in.

"I'm surprised to see you here on a Sunday afternoon," Saul said to him. He nodded towards Erik. "How's he doing?"

Theodore shook his head. His expression suddenly hardened. "What kind of God would do this to someone like Erik?" He shook his head again, . "I don't understand it."

JC nodded in agreement. "Neither do I."

"Are the doctors doing anything?" Serena asked.

Theodore shrugged. "I don't know. I assume they're doing everything they can."

Saul looked around the room. "Shouldn't Colin be here?"

Theodore met his gaze. "I don't think he's been here since Erik arrived."

Joanna's mouth fell open. "What?"

Theodore nodded his head. "Marshmallow either."

"Why?" Rebecca demanded.

Theodore shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." He sighed and lifted his hand to gracefully take hold of Erik's paw. "I miss him so much." He smiled. "He was such a sweet little skunk." He looked over at the others. "I wish you guys could have had the chance to get to know him better."

"I don't think he really liked us that much, "Marty noted. "I mean, he never invited us over to his house or anything, not like what he did with Colin. The two of them seemed to like each other."

"Yeah," Theodore agreed. "I'm sure he liked you guys too. He just never made an effort to get to know you. Besides, you guys weren't here that long before he ended up here. I mean, you just moved into town a few weeks ago."

"Rebecca, how are you and the others coming along on your project?" Cody asked.

"It's going good so far," Rebecca replied. "We're trying to get the word out there."

"What about Alvin?" Joanna asked. "How is he coming along with the stem cells?"

"I haven't talked to him recently. I assume it's going well." She nodded towards the chubby chipmunk in front of them. "I'm sure Theodore could tell you a thing or two about how Alvin is doing."

"I don't meddle in my brother's affairs," Theodore replied. "If you're really curious, why don't you ask him yourself?"

Joanna nodded her head. "I just might do that, Theodore. First, though, I'd like to have a talk with Colin, find out why he hasn't come to see Erik since he's ended up here."

"I'll drive you," Rebecca offered.

By the time Joanna and Rebecca had arrived at the Matthews' household, the latter had already started forming a plan on how to get Marshmallow into the hospital so she could see her brother. They weren't surprised when Renee answered the door.

"Yes?" the skunk asked.

"Colin, is he here?" Joanna asked.

Renee shook her head. "No, he's not."

"Do you know where we could find him?" Rebecca inquired.

Renee nodded. "He's down at the church on Evening Square."

"The church?" Rebecca repeated, giving an odd look to her sister. She shrugged. "Come on, Joanna. Let's go."

"Here." Renee bent down and placed Marshmallow in Rebecca's arms. "Take this with you. She could use some fresh air. She's been lazing around the house too much lately."

Rebecca watched as Marshmallow snuggled into her furry chest. She gently stroked Marshmallow's back, causing the skunk's tail to swish happily. She handed her to Joanna. "Here. You hold her. I have to drive."

"Thanks." Renee shut the door while the two of them went back to their car.

Joanna held Marshmallow out at arm's length so she could get a good look at her. "My God, you've put on weight." She was taken aback at the fact that Marshmallow chuckled at this statement and gave her belly a few affectionate pats. She set Marshmallow in her lap, cringing as the skunk's colossal butt hurt her legs. She looked down at Marshmallow, petting her gently. "If we leave you in the car, you're not going to eat the steering wheel, are you?" Once again, she was surprised at Marshmallow laughing, seeming to take the remark as a joke. "Well, at the very least, you look cuter this way." She leaned down and nuzzled Marshmallow with her nose, making the baby skunk giggle in delight.

* * *

_I longed to understand more about Saul and Serena's religion. More specifically, I wanted to find out why such a bad thing had happened to someone as innocent as Erik. As far as I was concerned, the poor guy hadn't done anything wrong, so why was he in the hospital about to die? If God had indeed allowed this to happen, then why did people continue to worship and praise Him if he allowed terrible things to happen to good people? _

Colin sat in front of the pastor of Upper Room Harvest Church. He listened carefully as the pastor explained God's nature to him. He nodded his head at appropriate times, but otherwise kept silent. The pastor went on and on about how it was sin that had caused Erik to end up in the hospital. This made no sense to Colin. How could an idea as inconceivable as sin be the cause behind Erik being in the hospital? The reason Erik was in the hospital wasn't because of sin; it was because of the fact that Erik's immune system was so weak and fragile.

"I hope you know that," the pastor said, "there's a God out there who loves you, and He wants you to find the answers to the questions that you have."

Colin shook his head, giving the pastor a befuddled look. "This doesn't make any sense. Sin is just an idea. It doesn't exist. It's just an idea. How could it be responsible for Erik being in the hospital?"

The pastor was about to respond when both heard a knock at the door. His eyes looked up towards the door and he barked, "Come in."

Colin turned his head and was taken aback when he saw JC walk in the room. "JC, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, JC," the pastor said, smiling. "Long time, no see. What can I do for you?"

"If you have the time, I'd like to talk to you, Father," JC said.

"Certainly, certainly. Go wait outside. I'll be finished up here."

JC nodded and left the room.

"I can't convince you of anything," the pastor told Colin. "All I can do is let you decide for yourself." He opened a drawer and puled out a Bible, setting it in front of Colin. "Why don't I give you a Bible, and you can read it, and then you can make your own decision? I can't guarantee that it'll answer all of your questions, but it'll answer some of them."

Colin sighed and stared down at the book in front of him. "God . . ." He picked up the Bible and glanced at it. He smiled at the pastor. "That would be great." He got up and shook the pastor's hand before leaving the room, meeting JC outside. "So, you want to tell me why you're here?"

JC sneered. "Well, like you, I'm confused as fuck and I want answers."

Colin chuckled. "Good to know I'm not the only one." He ruffled the fur on the rabbit's head. "I'll see you at home."

"Yeah, sure."

Upon turning, Colin was surprised to find Joanna, Rebecca, and Marshmallow entering the church. Instead of making them walk all the way to him, he jogged over to them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Looking for you," Rebecca said.

Joanna held Marshmallow in her arms, one arm wrapped around her neck and a paw placed on her diapered bottom. "How is Erik doing?"

This question seemed to take Colin by surprise, as his mouth fell open upon hearing it. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't know?" Rebecca asked.

"No," Colin replied, shaking his head.

"How could you not know?" Joanna asked.

"I haven't gotten around to seeing him. I've been busy."

"Well, you need to go see him," Rebecca suggested. "He's not doing well."

At this point, Marshmallow looked up at the redheaded rabbit and calmly asked, from around her thumb, "Is he gonna die?"

All three adults looked at the fearful look on Marshmallow's face.

"He might, Marshmallow," Rebecca replied.

Marshmallow visibly cringed at this idea and buried her face in her Joanna's face. Joanna gently patted her diapered bottom in an effort to keep her calm and collected. She gently placed a kiss on Marshmallow's head.

"I'll see you guys at home," Colin said. "Come on, baby." He gently took Marshmallow from Joanna and carried her out of the church.

* * *

"Hi, Alvin."

Alvin looked up to see Saul looking down at him. He watched as the rabbit sat down next to him. He looked back down at the ground. "Hi, Saul."

"How's it going?"

Alvin sighed. "I don't understand it, Saul. Why would God take away Erik?"

"Well, you see, Alvin, it's like this. God, although very merciful and loving, is a very vengeful God. He's all pissed off about something we did thousands of years ago, and He just can't get over it."

"I still don't understand."

"Job once said, 'The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.' Take Marshmallow, for example. Babies do nothing but cry and cry, but if you give her a bottle of milk, then she has nothing to cry about. But if you give her a bottle of milk and take it away, then she does have something to cry about. People are the same way. The reason why God doesn't do anything about evil or suffering is because our pain and tears are what gives Him His great power. You see, it's our tears, Alvin, that gives God His great power. He doesn't care who's in pain or hurting, just as long as it makes us cry. Do you understand now, Alvin?"

The chipmunk nodded his head. "Yeah. I think I do."

Saul smiled. "Great." He got up and started to walk off.

Alvin stood up. "Hey, Saul, could you give me a ride to the airport? I have a plane to catch."

Saul nodded. "Sure. Hop in my car."

"Thanks."

* * *

"My name is Alvin Seville," Alvin addressed the congregation in the room. He stood in front of Congress. "I live in Vancouver, BC and there's a dear friend of mine who's in the hospital. His name is Erik Matthews and he's only seventeen years old. I know that stem cell research is a touchy subject, but if there's a chance–a-a chance–that stem cells can save my best friend's life, then I guess I owe to him to at least try to change your minds. I love Erik Matthews and I . . . and I want you to love him too!" He sniffled. "Maybe I can best sum up my feelings in a song." He cleared his throat.

"_I never meant to be so bad to you__  
__One thing I said that I would never do" _

A man in the congregation stood up.

_A look from you and I would fall from grace_

Another man stood up and belted out the next line to the song.

_And that would wipe the smile right from my face_

Two more men stood up and, one after the other, sang the lines.

_Do you remember when we used to dance?_

_And incidents arose from circumstance_

At this point, the entire congregation stood up and began singing in unison.

_One thing led to another when we were young  
And we would scream together songs unsung  
_

Alvin began singing along with them.

_It was the heat of the moment  
Telling me what my heart meant  
The heat of the moment showed in your eyes_

* * *

"I think I got it," Rebecca said.

JC looked over at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I think I've finally formulated a plan to make sure that Marshmallow gets a chance to see her brother before he dies," Rebecca elaborated.

JC closed the Bible he held in his paws, turning his full attention to his sister. "Enlighten me."

"Gladly." She cleared her throat. "What we do is we take Marshmallow, tell Colin that we're taking her to the park, and take her to the hospital. And if he has a problem with it, tell him that Renee approved of it. After all, Marshmallow is her daughter."

JC smiled. "You have to admit, though, it is rather cute and sweet how protective he is over her. He's kind of like a father to her."

Rebecca smiled at him. "You know, you're like a nice bulldog. You look all bad and vicious, but really, you're nice, cute, and cuddly!"

JC snorted and sneered at him. "I'm not nice, cute, or cuddly! I'm rougeishly handsome." He smiled.

She chuckled. "Whatever you say, bulldog."

He smirked. "Is that my affectionate nickname now?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It sounds kind of cute, don't you think?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I like it." He opened the Bible and continued reading.

She caught this. "Are you still an atheist?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I went to go talk to the pastor the other day. All thsi time I've been blaming God for what's been happening to Erik. He really put some things into perspective for me. Who know? Maybe doing some reading and studying will convince me to return to the herd."

She smiled. "That's good. Good for you, JC."

"What about you? Are you guys any closer to getting the benefit concert set up?"

She nodded her head. "I think so. We've set up a date so that it's on the weekend, not a school night. This way we'll be able to perform as long as we won't without having to worry about having to get up at seven the following morning."

"Great."

"How's Alvin doing with his battle for stem cell research?"

"Dad drove him to the airport the other day. We're waiting to hear the decision from Congress."

Her ears drooped. "I understand why he's trying to get the ban lifted, but . . . does that still make it right?"

He looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, is it ever okay to commit a sin? Like, for example, let's say you were living on the streets. Would it still be considered a sin if you were to steal food so that you could survive?"

He raised a furry eyebrow at her. "You know, I have never thought about that before. You're better off asking Dad than me. I'm not very well schooled in spiritual matters."

She nodded her head. "Yeah. Okay. I'll ask him."

* * *

Alvin sat on the couch in the living room, hands folded in his lap. Every so often he would glance at the telephone resting beside him. He was trying to distract himself by watching television, but found that the telephone had a greater hold on his attention than he had previously thought. He realized this when he noticed that he had the volume of the television down so low. He picked up the remote to turn up the volume, only to jump when the telephone let out a piercing ring that echoed throughout the room, effectively drowning out what little noise was being produced from the television.

With a shaking hand, he picked up the phone and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Alvin Seville?" a voice asked.

"This is he."

"Mr. Seville, we just wanted to let you know that Congress will be doing a press release this evening, lifting the ban on stem cell research."

Alvin pumped his fist into the air. "Yes! Thank you!" He set the phone back on the receiver and turned off the television to go tell Simon the good news.

* * *

"Hello," Alvin said. "Is this," he looked down at the phone book in front of him, "the University of British Columbia? Great. Who am I speaking with? Hi, Stephen. I understand that your science department is currently studying biology, specifically stem cells. Okay. I have forty-three aborted fetuses in my basement right now. How much could I get for one? Oh, you're breaking my balls, Stephen." He heard the dial tone. "Hello?"

"Alvin," Dave said, poking his head in the room, "Rebecca and JC are here to see you."

Alvin sighed. "Son of a bitch. Okay, I'll be right down." He turned his head. "Marshmallow!" The white skunk waddled over to him. "Take over for me. I have to go take care of some business. The next number you need to dial is already circled." He patted her head and gave her a kiss on her nose before turning and walking out of the room.

Due to her bloated belly, Marshmallow had a bit of a hard time getting onto the chair. She finally turned her back to the chair and managed to get in it this way, butt-first. She turned the chair towards the desk and, after glancing at the phone book, dialed the number. She cleared her throat as she put the phone to her ear. "Yes, is the Vancouver Science and Research Development Facility? Okay, good. Who am I speaking with right now? Hi, Scott. I understand that you're currently doing some lab testing with stem cells. I'm currently in possession of some aborted fetuses. How much could I get for one? Oh, you're breaking my balls here, Scott. I said, you're breaking my balls. You're breaking . . . my balls. Oh, my God. Jesus Christ . . ." She pinched her nose and groaned. "You're, as in you are . . . breaking . . . my balls. Are we clear now?" She heard a dial tone. "Hello?"

Alvin walked down the stairs to see the two rabbits that Dave had mentioned. "Yes?"

"Hey, is Marshmallow with you?" Rebecca asked.

Alvin nodded. "Yes."

"Could we borrow her for a couple of minutes?" JC asked. As an afterthought, he added, "Please?" He visibly cringed, as if the word was a foul word, a word that made him uncomfortable saying it out loud.

"Sure. Let me go get her." Alvin nodded his head and went back up the stairs. Seconds later, he came back down with Marshmallow in his arms, groaning in discomfort as her enormous rear wore on his muscles. He handed her to JC, being that he was stronger.

"Thanks," Rebecca said. She gave Alvin a peck on the cheek. "We'll sure to bring her back once she's done."

"Oh, don't bother," Alvin replied. "Just take her home."

JC nodded while shifting his weight to better accomodate Marshmallow's. "Will do." With Rebecca, he walked out of the Seville household.

**A/N: Rebecca posed a very good question. Is it ever okay to sin? Does God show mercy towards those who sin but have good intentions behind their sinning? What do you guys think? Let me in the comments section. **


End file.
